Summer of Ice
by Bart Hibbs
Summary: Elsa has thawed her accidental winter. Now the time has come to rule as Queen. This is a prequel to my first story, Rain of a Child's Tear, covering its back story, and other events.
1. The Open Gates

"Oh, no, oh no! Watch out! I'm losing my balance!" Anna called out, as she skated toward her sister, waving her arms wildly.

"I got you!" replied Elsa, as she took Anna's hands, and brought her to rest.

"I had no idea ice skating was so hard. And tiring."

Anna looked about the courtyard of their castle, watching all the visitors. It was odd to see such a crowd here, as for years the castle gates had been closed to almost everyone. She watched the other skaters gliding about with ease. "No one else seems to be having trouble."

"It takes practice."

Anna looked at Elsa's crystal shoes. "You don't have any trouble, and you aren't even wearing ice skates."

"I've had practice. More times than I care to count I've had a chance to skate on ice."

"Well, I guess you would, when you can magically create all the ice and snow you want." Anna looked about the courtyard. "Just look at this place. Ice covering the ground, the castle walls covered with ice decorations, the fountains turned into ice sculptures, all on a warm July day. And you made it all in just a few seconds."

Elsa had lowered her head, looking distraught.

Anna noticed, and put her arm around her sister. "Did I say something wrong? I'm sorry! What did I say wrong?"

Elsa raised her head, looking at Anna directly. "I did not get practice skating on ice by choice. I just kept losing control of my Power. My room would become covered with ice, and there was nothing I could do."

Anna pulled back a bit, but kept an arm around Elsa. "I brought up a bad memory. I'm sorry! I've been doing things like that over and over, starting with your coronation ball three days ago. Maybe I should just keep my mouth shut."

"No! We need to talk. We need to share with each other. Keeping secrets is for the past. You can tell me anything. Yes, it might be painful, but we can work through it."

Anna smiled. "In that case, can I ask you something?"

"Anything."

"Why do you sometimes feel cold and other times, warm?"

Elsa looked puzzled. "What do you mean?"

"Like right now you feel cold, but just a moment ago, when you took my hands, you felt warm."

"Oh. Now you're touching my gown."

"So?"

"So it's made of ice."

Anna looked at her sister dubiously. "That's ice. You're wearing a gown made of ice. How? Why aren't you freezing?"

"It feels cool and refreshing, and doesn't bother me at all." Elsa ran her hands down the sides of her gown. "I thought you knew," said Elsa.

"I thought you had used your Power to make a gown that just looked like ice, I didn't realize it _was_ ice. How did you do it?"

Elsa straitened, thinking back to the events of the past few days. "After I ran from the coronation ball, I went to the North Mountain. There I created my ice palace."

"And that's where I found you," commented Anna.

"Yes. But also I wanted to rid myself of everything having to do with being the Queen of Arendelle, to set myself free." Elsa looked up into the sky, a smile crossing her face as she remembered how she felt that day. "I removed my cape and let the wind take it. I made the stairway across a chasm, and then built the ice palace on the other side. Then, I tossed my crown away. Finally, I used my Power to change my coronation gown into what you see now." Elsa gestured to her gown, an off-the shoulder, glacial blue dress with powder blue sleeves, and a gossamer cape decorated with snowflake patterns that extended from the bodice to the floor and beyond, forming a short train.

Elsa raised her hand to her near glacial white hair, touching the single braid draped forward over her left shoulder, across her heart, and adorned with crystal snowflakes. "Even the decorations in my hair are ice."

"I knew a recognized that color," said a man from behind Anna. She turned and saw Kristoff sliding toward them on the ice, his reindeer, Sven, close behind. Both fought for balance as they approached.

"Careful, there! Are you alright?" Asked Anna.

"I think so. This is slippery," said Kristoff, as he and Sven came to a stop.

"I would think you, being an ice harvester, would have no trouble walking on ice," Elsa commented.

"We harvesters prefer to work in the cold of winter. That makes the ice hard, and not as slippery. It really helps with the footing if there is a little snow cover. This ice is melting; it's covered with water. We don't harvest ice in conditions like this, it's too dangerous."

Anna came to Kristoff's side and embraced him. "So, how do you like being Arendelle's official Ice Master and Deliverer?"

"Actually, I'm not sure what to make of it," he replied.

"What do you mean?" asked Elsa.

"Well, look at this place! Your majesty…"

"You can call me Elsa."

"…Elsa, you can make all the ice you want, do anything with it you want, even make clothes. How can I be the ice master when you are far more of a master of ice than I could ever be?" Kristoff waved his arms about for emphasis. "Why would you ever need ice delivered? Why would anyone in the entire kingdom ever need ice delivered again?"

Anna placed a hand on Kristoff, chest. "We're going to have to work on your social skills," she said, knowing Kristoff had spent most of his life away from others, in the wild.

"It's a valid question," Elsa said. She noticed many other people in the courtyard turning toward them, and moving closer to hear what she would say. Elsa began to realize that her subjects were curious about her Power and how she would use it.

She straitened, adopting her regal poise, turned to the assembled crowd, addressing them with a strong voice.

"I never intend to use my Power to interfere with legitimate commerce in this or any other Kingdom. I will use it to defend the Kingdom and my people, if needed." She relaxed a bit, taking a more informal appearance, and smiled. "Also, now and then, to have some fun. But I need, we all need, to be careful. Every time I use my Power, there is a chance for something unexpected to happen."

Almost as if on queue, a piece of ice from one of the castle decorations cracked, came lose, and fell to the ground. Fortunately, no one was nearby. Many turned to the sound, then back to Elsa, concern showing on their faces.

Elsa lowered her head for just a moment, and then addressed the crowd. "I think it's time to clear all the ice. Is everyone ready?"

A few who were still skating came to a stop. Elsa waited a moment, and then slowly raised her hands away from her sides. The ice responded, rising upward as a cloud of snowflakes. She thought about the last time she had dispelled ice, just yesterday afternoon. Then, she had dispersed the ice across the sky. Now, she tried something different: She directed the ice over the castle walls and let it settle into the fjord beyond.

"Ah, I hope there weren't any ships out there", commented Anna.

Elsa froze for a moment, and then looked at her hands. "Every time, I need to think about the consequences," she said, almost whispering. "I sure most all the guests have set sail for home by now. And even if there is someone out there, it will just be a light snow shower."

"First it was winter, then it was summer, then sort of both at the same time, and now its summer again. I'm getting dizzy!" They all looked toward this new voice, coming from across the courtyard. There stood an animated snowman, complete with twig arms and a carrot nose. A small cloud hovered over his head, producing a steady shower of snowflakes.

"Olaf!" called Anna. "How did you like skating about with everyone?"

Olaf, jumped up and down, before walking over to the group. "Oh, it was fun! But some people would not skate with me", He dropped his head, looking disappointed.

"They just need to get use to you," said Elsa. "I needed to get use to you. I didn't realize when I made you that somehow you would come to life."

"You think so? Wonderful! I'll go start making new friends right now."

Most of the crowd was filing out the courtyard gate, walking across the causeway that connected the castle to the mainland. Olaf went to join them, walking up to a person seemingly picked at random. "Hi. I'm Olaf, and I like warm hugs!" he said to the surprised woman.

Elsa turned to Anna. "It's getting late. The sun is about the set, and I'm hungry." She lifted up the hem of her cape. "Also, I need to change. I was to tired yesterday that I did not change before going to bed."

"What?" said Kristoff. "Isn't that you now? Like, with your Power, that's what you always wear?"

Elsa looked at Kristoff, cocking her head and smiling. "You don't expect a girl to wear the same clothes all the time, do you?"

"So, clothes, then food," said Anna. "Oh! I haven't ever been in your room! We always slept in the same room, until Father moved you out. What's it like? Can I see?"

"Sure," replied Elsa. Then she and Anna both looked at Kristoff.

He suddenly realized he was about to be invited to dinner with the Queen and princess of Arendelle, and panicked.

"Ah, I better see to my deliveries," he said, raising both hands and backing away a few steps. "Now that everyone knows they still need ice, I'll have a lot of work to do." He turned, tripped, and almost fell before grabbing Sven's harness. Both women giggled for a few seconds.

"Alright. See you tomorrow?" Asked Anna.

"Uh, sure. Tomorrow." He replied, and then made his way toward the gates along with his reindeer. As he walked away, the two sisters heard him talk in a low voice, "You just lost out on free food," in the tone he used when he talked for Sven. "I know, I know. Maybe next time old buddy."

Anna and Elsa watched him go before making their own way into the castle.


	2. Loss

"So, you and Kristoff?" Elsa asked in a sing-song voice, as the two walked up the stars to the residential area of the castle.

Anna smiled. "We're friends, maybe more than friends. We need to be careful not to scare him off."

"He did look a little worried. I hope you are not planning on accepting a marriage proposal right away."

"Oh, no, I learned that lesson with Prince Hans." Both women walked on in silence for a moment, thinking about Hans, and how he seduced Anna into accepting a marriage proposal mere hours after their first meeting. Then, two days later, how he tried to kill Anna, take the throne of Arendelle, and kill Elsa.

Anna broke the silence. "Kristoff thought that my accepting of Hans' proposal was a mistake too, so I doubt he'll be repeating it. Then those trolls did try and marry the two of us. It was sort of cute."

Elsa stopped and faced her sister. "Wait, you know about the trolls? You saw the trolls?"

"What? You know about the trolls? How could you? You've been cooped up in your room for the last 13 years!"

Elsa closed her eyes, and dropped her head.

"I did it again!" cried Anna. "I keep upsetting you."

"This is going to upset you too, but we need to talk about it. Lets get to my room and give me a chance to change and gather my thoughts."

They started back up the stairs. "I've been thinking about your room. We use to share a room. It was _our_ room. Now that you are no longer hiding in there, I thought maybe…?" Anna trailed off, a hopeful tone in her voice.

"We aren't children any more, Anna. Also, I think it may be time for me to move into the royal chambers."

"You mean mother's and father's rooms?"

"Yes. The servants have kept them in good shape, and I am the queen. It is the appropriate place for me to live, especially as now I don't have to worry about freezing it."

Elsa paused to think. "The chambers do have several adjoining rooms, though. For servants, or a nursery. Maybe you could move into one of them? We wouldn't be sleeping in the same room, but there would only be one door between us."

Anna thought about it. "That could work. I guess I have a thing about closed doors, after all the years of the castle gates being closed, and your door being closed. I'll have to get use to the idea that a closed door is not some sort of absolute barricade. When you go and check out their room, tell me so I can look around too."

Elsa nodded once in acknowledgment, then stopped before a white door decorated with blue and green Rosemalling.

"Here we are," she said. "Shall we go in?"

Anna smiled, reached around Elsa, opened the door, and walked though.

"All your stuff looks like I remember it," commented Anna. Her gaze alighted on a dresser. "Why do you have a broken teapot?"

"I was practicing for the coronation ceremony. You know how I had to take off my gloves and hold the orb and scepter?"

"Sure. I remember you looked terrified."

Elsa smiled, as she picked up an intact teapot and a candlestick from a different table. "If you had looked at my hands you would have seen why. The orb and scepter were becoming covered with frost. I practiced by holding teapots, trying to hold them and keep my Power under control. If they get too cold, they shatter. On the morning of my coronation I actually succeeded in holding these without breaking them. It was enough; I made it through the coronation ceremony, just barely. I was so sure someone would see."

Elsa held up the two objects, looking at them in wonder. "It's almost magical for me, to see them _not_ becoming covered in frost."

Anna looked concerned. "I so wish I could have been there for you, to help you through it all."

"There is a reason you couldn't, a reason you don't yet know, and it involves those trolls. Let me change, then I'll tell you all about it."

Elsa took a few steps into the room, making space for herself. "I guess the first step is to bring back my coronation gown." She lowered her hands to sides, fingers outstretched, palms facing inward. Then a thought crossed her mind, and she walked behind the dressing blind.

"I once dreamt I was kissed by troll, and that's what gave me my white lock of hair. Odd how that want away," commented Anna.

"Oh no!" Elsa exclaimed from behind the dressing blind. Anna was immediately caught by Elsa's tone; she sounded terrified.

"What happened?"

Elsa stuck her head around the blind, grabbing the side. Ice sprang forth from where she held the wood, and spread across the panel. "Anna! Go to the closet and get my blue dress," she said, looking panicked.

"Why? What's wrong with the coronation gown?"

Elsa looked down at herself, then back at Anna. "There is no gown. Go get my blue dress!"

"What do you mean there is no gown?"

"I tried to turn the ice gown back to the coronation gown, and all that happened is the ice gown went away. There is no coronation gown!"

Anna took a couple of steps forward, a smile growing on her face. "You mean you are back there completely…."

"YES!" Elsa pointed at her closet, gesturing for emphasis. "GO GET MY BLUE DRESS!" A flash of Power leapt from her hand, splattering frost across the wall. She lowered her hand, and closed her eyes. "Anna, please. Just get my dress."

"Alright, alright." Anna went to the closet, the door covered in frost. She tried to open it, but found it stuck. She tried again, harder, and in a few tries, opened the door despite the frost. She selected the dress and some undergarments, and then took them to Elsa. A few minutes later, Elsa walked out, dressed.

"My Power can destroy as well as create," she said, looking at her hands. "I had no idea."

"So you have more to learn," replied Anna. "It'll be fun!"

Elsa looked at Anna dubiously. "This is you idea of fun?" Elsa looked at the frost she had inadvertently created. "I better clear all of the ice before it starts to melt. This part of the castle already has enough of a mildew problem." Elsa raised her hands.

Nothing happened.

She tried again, looking scared. Again, the frost remained.

The air in the room got colder. Terrified, Elsa looked around the room, as if seeking a way to escape, or a place to hide. "I've lost it, I've lost control!"

Anna took step toward her sister, raising her arms to embrace her. "Elsa? It's alright…"

"No! Anna, stay back. I'm dangerous!" Elsa took a step backwards, raising her own hands as if to push Anna away, then quickly folded her arms across her chest, hiding her hands under her arms. She continued to look about, as frost crept up the walls and across the floor.

Anna stopped, lowered her arms, smiling gently. "Elsa?"

"What am I going to do? It's starting all over again," she said in panic.

"Elsa!"

"What?"

"I love you."

Elsa looked at her sister, and the two caught each other's eye. They stood, unmoving, holding each other's gaze for several seconds.

Elsa lowered her head, dropped her arms, and smiled back. "Anna, where would I be without you." She thought back to yesterday, a time that now seemed to be in the distant past. Then, she had no idea how to dispel ice, or even if it was possible for her to do so. Between Anna and Olaf, she had learned the secret.

_Love thaws. _

She remembered the moment, her love for Anna, and then slowly raised her arms. The air warmed, and the frost was swept away in the flow of Power. She walked to Anna and the two exchanged a long hug.


	3. The Past is never in the Past

"Now, as hard as that was, what I need to tell you may be even harder."

"Is this about the trolls?"

"Yes. And something bad that happened when we were children." Elsa went to her bed, sat, and patted the covers just to her right.

Anna sat beside Elsa. "What happened? Did the trolls do something to you?"

"No, they did something to you. Or for you, depending on how you look at it."

"I don't understand," Anna said.

Elsa put her hand on top of Anna's. "And you won't, until I tell it all. So be patient."

Anna settled herself, waiting.

"When we were children, you knew about my Power," Elsa began.

"What? How?"

Elsa closed her eyes and raised her hand. "Please, it will make sense when I get through it all."

Anna could see Elsa was on the verge of tears. She calmed herself and sat very still, waiting for Elsa to continue.

"You knew about my Power. We would go to the great hall and play. Play in the snow I created."

"I remember playing in the snow, but it was…outside? But…" Anna trailed off, looking confused, as though her memories made no sense.

"One night when we were playing, you started jumping from one pile of snow to the next. I would make a new one, and you would jump to it. Then I slipped, and my Power struck you in the head." Tears rolled down Elsa's face. "Oh, Anna! I almost killed you! Father found us, you unconscious in my arms, a lock of your hair turned white. He took us to the trolls. They cured you, and removed your memories of my Power."

"Why did they do that?"

"They thought it would be for the best. Father did too."

"I knew. I knew all about you. And now I don't. Part of me is gone."

"I can help, tell you all about what you don't remember."

Anna ran her fingers through her hair. "I thought I was born with that white streak."

"Anna, don't you see? All these years, I haven't been hiding my Power from you as much as I've been protecting you. I couldn't control it, I was so afraid of hurting you, again."

Elsa looked down at her hands. "Then I did hurt you again, I almost killed you again. That is why I tried so hard to get you out of the ice palace. I didn't want you to get hurt."

"Why was it so important to not tell me about your Power? Why couldn't I be kept safe some other way? I cannot count how many times I came to your door, trying to get you to come out!" Anna said, anger beginning to rise in her.

"Father thought it was for the best."

"Best for who? You? Me? I could have helped you!" Anna stood, gesturing for emphasis.

"He was just trying to protect us. We were children, you were just five when it happened."

"Fine. But, what about later? When I was older and could understand? I cannot believe keeping us apart was the best option."

"Mother wanted to tell you too. I heard them arguing about it a couple of times. But in the end, it was father's argument that always won.

"And what was that?"

"He would say that once you, or anyone, learned of my Power, there was no going back. There was no way to un-tell them. He was afraid of what might happen."

"What could happen? Most everyone is fine with you and your Power."

"But not everyone." Elsa sighed. "The trolls said fear would be my enemy. Father saw three sources for my fear."

Anna stood, waiting, as Elsa gathered her thoughts.

"First, I would fear hurting others. Next I would fear revealing my secret. Finally, anyone who did know might label me a monster, and I would fear them doing me harm. Father thought that all I had to do was learn to control my Power. Then I would not fear hurting anyone, I would not fear revealing my Power, and, as no one would learn of it, I would have no fear of monster hunters. It seemed like the perfect solution. Once I learned to control my Power, I could come out and live among everyone, without fear."

Elsa looked at Anna, her face filled with regret. Anna's anger broke, and she sat on the bed and hugged her sister.

"Well, everyone knows now. You don't have to fear revealing you secret any more."

"I still have to fear hurting others, and the monster hunters."

"You are not a monster. Just keep showing that to everyone, and it'll be fine."

"I hope you are right." Elsa reached up to wipe away her tears, just as her stomach grumbled. "I seem to remember we were going to have dinner."

"Fine. But don't think I'm done being mad at you. All those years."

Anna leading, the two left Elsa's room and headed for the dining room. After a short time, Anna dropped back to walk beside her sister.

"I still don't get it. Why would you continue to keep this secret even after mother and father were gone? He couldn't argue you out of it any more."

Elsa sighed. "I thought about doing so many times, about how unfair it was to you, about how maybe it would help me. But I kept hearing father's words, seemingly drifting to me from the past. He even made up this little rhyme for me."

"A rhyme?"

"It went like this. _Don't let them know, don't let them see. Be the good girl you always have to be. Conceal, don't feel, don't let them know_."

"Don't feel? That's terrible! You cannot go through life not feeling."

"It seemed necessary. The Power responds to my emotions, sometime violently."

"Well, now you know it responds to love, and that lets you control it."

"Yes, as long as I remember my love for you."

"Surely there are other tings you love."

Elsa looked questioningly at Anna.

"Like, how about our people, or our country? Or chocolate?"

Elsa laughed. "Only you would think of controlling a dangerous magical power with chocolate."

Anna looked at Elsa, suddenly excited. "Oh! Is there any left? From the coronation ball? Can we have some for dinner?"

"I'm not sure. I raided the leftovers last night before going to bed, and I think there was some then. I was so hungry, I didn't realize how hungry until I saw food."

"What were you eating while you were in your ice palace?"

"Snow."

"That doesn't sound very appetizing, or nutritious."

"I guess it wasn't. The dining room is through here?"

Anna looked at Elsa in surprise. "You don't know?"

"I haven't eaten there in a long time. I had all my meals taken to my room."

"Yup, though here," Anna said, opening and holding the door for Elsa. The two entered, and then looked about the empty room, the table bare of food and place settings.

"I don't understand," Elsa said. "I told Kai that I would be eating here from now on. Lets go see what is going on."

The two walked to the door leading to the kitchen. Just before getting there, the door opened, and Kai, the head of the household staff, came though.

"You majesty," he said, bowing. "Apologies. We are running a little late. There so much to do now!"

Elsa looked confused. "There is more to do? Why is that?"

"Well, it's your new open gate policy. We have so many more visitors now. They all have wants and needs and they need to be cleaned up after. My staff is so small!"

"Our staff is small? Why is the staff small?" Anna asked.

Elsa answered. "Father let most of them go right after my accident, when I hurt you. He thought it would make it easier to keep my secret."

"Maybe we should hire some back?" Anna suggested.

Elsa thought about it for a moment. "Yes, we can do that. I'll be checking the finances tomorrow. I'll see what we can do."

"My Queen, if you are hiring more staff, I do have one request," Kia said.

"Oh?"

"When the King released most of the staff, we had a chancellor. Perhaps you could hire a new one?"

"A chancellor? What does a chancellor do?" Anna asked.

"He takes care of matters of protocol, diplomacy, and anything involving visiting foreign dignitaries. After the King let the previous one go, his duties were split between the King and myself. Recently, I have been handling everything. I have discovered I do not really enjoy dealing with the likes of Prince Hans and the Duke of Weselton. And, if I an getting more staff, I will have plenty to."

"I see," said Elsa, as she considered Kai's request. "It would almost be a demotion, from acting chancellor to head of household. You would find that acceptable?"

"Yes, your Majesty, thank you."

Elsa turned to Anna. "It looks like we are hiring new staff and a chancellor."

"We can split up the work. You can handle looking for the chancellor, while I work with Kai on getting more staff."

"That sounds like a plan. But wait until I check the finances before you hire too many."

Kai looked concerned. "Is there a problem?"

"I don't think so," Elsa responded. "But I want to be sure, especially now that we have suspended trade with Weselton."

"Well, the Duke did call you an evil sorceress, and send his two goons out to murder you," Anna commented.

"Oh my," said Kai. "I had not heard about this. Did you use your Power against them?"

"Yes. At one point I stopped an arrow just inches before it struck me. I came close to killing one of them. It was quite a fight."

"Over the years, I always wondered if you could use your Power to protect yourself," Kai said.

This caught Anna's attention. "Wait, you knew about her Power? Before the coronation?"

Elsa answered. "Among the staff, only Kai and Gerda knew."

"About that…" began Kai. Elsa looked at him in confusion.

Kai looked quite embarrassed. "Your Majesty, I think all the staff knows. In fact, they have been asking if it's now acceptable to talk about all these past years, and their experiences. They have been getting so many questions from the visitors, and it's frustrating to say nothing when there really is no longer a secret to keep."

Both sisters were shocked. "Everyone knew? How?" Elsa asked.

"When you were a child, you filled the great hall with snow several times. Later, when you kept to your room, snow would sometimes creep out from under the door. Occasionally, when you did come out, there would be a trail of ice and snow left behind you. A staff member would see something, and we had to tell them all about you and your Power, and swear them to secrecy."

Anna quickly went from shock to anger. "Let me get this straight. Mother and father knew. Kai knew. The entire staff knew. Was I the only person in this entire castle who didn't know?"

Elsa took a step toward Anna. "I didn't realize this either…"

"No!" Anna backed off a few steps, spreading her hands in frustration. "Even the trolls knew! If I go to the docks and ask a fishmonger, will he say he knew too? I cannot believe this!" She turned away and stalked off a few steps.

Elsa stood, unmoving, wondering what to do. Behind her, some savants began bringing in place settings and food.

As they began setting the table, Elsa spotted a plate of chocolates. She picked it up and carried it to Anna. Anna looked at the plate, but did not move for several seconds. Then, she quickly took one, popped the treat into her mouth, and again turned her back to Elsa. Elsa waited, until Anna tuned back and took the plate, along with several more chocolates.

"Don't think this fixes everything," Anna said around a full mouth.

"I know it doesn't. The past is with us for as long as we remember it."

"And no more troll memory things!" Anna said, pointing a finder at Elsa.

"Agreed. Shall we have dinner?" Elsa started to the table, then saw Kai, waiting. She remembered.

"Yes," she told him. "The staff can talk about what they saw."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Kai bowed, and returned to the kitchen.

Anna followed Elsa to their chairs. The table was long enough to seat 20 guests, along with places at the heads. Tonight, the two sat at one end, across from each other.

"All those years," Anna said. "I kept coming to your door, trying to get you to came out. 'Do you want to build a snowman?' I'd ask. 'Do you want to build a snowman? Do you want to…'" Anna stopped, suddenly smiled, and looked at Elsa with excitement.

"Let me guess," began Elsa. "You want to build a snowman."

"Better! Lets have a royal snowman-building contest! I'll be great. You can make all the snow. We can have teams, judging, and prizes!"

Elsa began to shake her head, rejecting Anna's suggestion, but stopped, considering. "Actually, that's a good idea. We need to show everyone that I am not a danger, and something like this may help."

"Right. Also, it'll be fun!"

"It will be quite a bit of work to set up. Are you up for it?"

"Sure!"

"Do you think you can wait a couple of weeks until we get the staff situation sorted out a bit?"

Anna looked disappointed. "I guess so."

"How about tomorrow I put some snow in the courtyard for everyone to play in? I should be able to find enough time to do that."

"That would be nice." Then Anna looked puzzled. "What's happening tomorrow?"

Elsa put down her utensils and looked at Anna. "Finances, remember? Then, I'll have to look over all the trade agreements. Given the recent events, things are in shambles. Also, I have put out the job request for the chancellor, and there are always a dozen issues that need my attention. You will need to see about hiring the new staff and start planning your contest. I would also like you to help make sure any visitors are being taken care of, at least until we do get more staff. It's going to be a busy few weeks."

"Got it. I guess because things have been so quiet for the last several years I didn't have any idea we could be busy. I never thought being a princess would be a lot of work."

"It will get easier."

"I hope so." Anna raised her wine glass. "Here's to a busy few weeks and a snowman contest!"

The two sisters touched glasses and drank.


	4. The Snow Queen

"Kristoff!" Anna called to the ice merchant.

The blond-haired man turned to see Anna running at him from across the market square. "Hi, I haven't seen you in while." Smiling, he grabbed Anna at the waist, picked her up and spun around, before setting her down so the two could hug.

"I've been cooped up in the castle, taking care of all sorts of things. But I have the have the afternoon free! I even convinced Elsa to come out. She should be around here somewhere."

Kristoff moved to the right side of his cart. "Get in, you can look for her as I do my deliveries."

Anna climbed in on the left side. "A cart? What happened to the new sled I gave you?"

"I don't want to use it in town, the streets will scratch up the runners." Sven looked back at Kristoff. "_And it's hard to pull when there is no snow_," Kristoff finished for his reindeer.

"Oh, I never thought of that." Anna watched as Kristoff got them moving.

"You look a little down," observed Kristoff. "Is something wrong?"

"I found out that most everyone in the castle knew about Elsa. Her big secret was a a secret to just me. And everyone in town, I guess. It was upsetting to hear about how I was the only one."

Kristoff pulled Sven to a stop in front of a restaurant, and lowered his head. "I knew about her too."

"What? How?"

"One night, as a child, I saw two horses running through the woods. One was leaving a trail of ice and snow. I followed them to the valley of living rock, where the trolls live. There I saw the riders were the King and Queen, and two children. One was Elsa, and the other had been injured. I heard the trolls talking about Elsa's Power, and realized it was she who was making the ice. Two rocks turned into trolls right beside me, and I got distracted and did not hear who the other…"

Kristoff's eyes got very wide, and he looked at Anna in astonishment. "It was you!" He raised both hands to his head, looked up and closed his eyes. "Of course it was you. Who else could it have been? You were that other little girl!"

"You saw me and Elsa with mother and father?"

"Yes. That was the night the trolls adopted me. Before then, the other ice harvesters were taking care of me. I saw the trolls cure you, and warn Elsa of the danger of her Power." Kristoff stepped down from the cart, went to the back and picked up his ice tongs. "After that night, I knew Elsa had some sort of ice power, but not much else."

Anna climbed down and walked to the back of the sled. Kristoff brushed away the straw from a huge block of ice.

"Everyone knew," Anna said incredulously. "Everyone, except me. What am I, chopped liver?"

"Don't take it personally, I think it just sort of worked out that way."

"Why shouldn't I take it personally? Everyone knew, and everyone was making sure I didn't know!"

"I mean no one was trying to keep it from you while everyone else was told. I never heard anyone mention it, so I kept quiet too. Also, you know now. We all do." He clamped the tongs on the block, and casually slung it over his shoulder. "Wait for me while I deliver this?"

"Sure." Anna tried to put the situation behind her, and looked at the restaurant. "Is this a good place to eat?"

"Fairly good. I prefer another place down by the docks. Be right back!" Kristoff smiled, then walked to the back of the building.

Anna pulled out a scroll from a pocket and noted down the name of the restaurant. Then she started scanning the market square, looking for Elsa.

"What have you got there?" said a voice from behind Anna.

"Hi Olaf. I'm making a list of places to visit later. Elsa has never really seen her kingdom, and I thought a list would help us explore and learn about it. This looks like a good place to eat."

"Oh, I love eating! There's cake, and chocolate, and dandelions and so many wonderful things!"

Anna drew her head back an inch, knitting her brow. "You eat dandelions?"

"You don't?"

"Does dandelion wine count?" Kristoff asked, just then coming back.

"I don't think I've ever had dandelion wine", Anna said.

"There is a good place to get some not far from here."

"What's its name? And what is the name of that fish place you mentioned at the docks?" Anna opened her scroll, and noted down the names as Kristoff gave them to her.

"Why do you want to know?" inquired Kristoff.

"I'm making a list of places for Elsa to visit."

"Ah, then maybe you want to remove that fish place."

"Why? It sounds delightful."

"It's, shall we say, a working man's place. You two may find it a bit crude."

"Oh, it cannot be that bad. I'm sure we'll have fun. Now, where is Elsa? She should be around here somewhere."

"There!" Kristoff pointed across the market square, toward a rising streak of white. Seconds later, a snowball at the top of the streak exploded in a shower of flakes.

Anna gave Kristoff a quick hug and waved goodbye to Olaf. "See you later!"

She made her way though the stalls until she came to a large pile of snow. There, Anna saw Elsa, facing away, speaking to some children. A crafty smile spread across her face. Slowly and carefully, Anna picked up some snow, packed it into a ball, and threw it at her sister.

The ball hit Elsa on the shoulder. She quickly turned around and saw Anna, standing on the other side of the snow pile, with a big smile. Elsa smiled in return, held her hands a few inches apart, and created a large snowball between them. Anna's smile vanished and her eyes grew wide. With a burst of Power, Elsa launched the projectile at Anna's face. She yelped in surprise, and buried her head in her arms just in time to block the ball. Snow went splattering everywhere.

"Hey! No cheating!" Anna said, pointing an accusatory finger at Elsa.

"Whatever do you mean?" Elsa asked innocently.

"You cannot use you Power in a snowball fight! New rule: You have to make all your snowballs by hand, just like everyone else."

Elsa looked off to the side, raised a hand, palm up, and made a few snowflakes above it. "We'll see."

"Stinker," Anna said under her breath as she circled the snow pile.

"You wanted to show me something? Elsa asked.

"Nothing in particular, at least not today. I'm still working on my list. How about we just walk around and look? How many times have you had a chance to do that?"

"Precious few. In fact, I have not done it at all since we were children, other than a few days ago, right after I thawed everything."

The two started walking through the square, in a generally eastward direction.

"How goes looking for a new chancellor?" Anna asked.

Elsa rolled her eyes. "Slow. I have done just one interview so far. The less said about it, the better."

"Oh? What happened?"

Elsa looked at her sister, frowning, as she did not get the hint. "He wanted to start a new religion, all based on me."

Anna laughed. "You, as the high priest of a new religion?"

"No, as the _Goddess_ of a new religion."

Anna started laughing so hard she had to stop to catcher breath.

"Oh, come on! It's not that funny. It was actually kind of scary. I wasn't sure if he was just infatuated with me, or trying to use me in some sort of confidence game."

"So what did you do with him?"

"I explained I was not any goddess, and was just looking for someone to help in running the kingdom. Then, as gently as possible, had the guards show him out."

The two reached an area used as a farmer's market, and found themselves surrounded by baskets of vegetables and displays of baked goods. Off to the side Anna heard a child crying. She ran over to see.

"Hi. What's wrong?" Anna asked as she kneeled.

"I lost my pig!" cried the child. "He ran off, and I cannot find him anywhere!"

"Oh, I'm sorry! Maybe I can help. What's your name?"

"Dana. I don't want you to help, I want Queen Elsa to help!"

"What? I can help just fine." Annoyed, Anna stood and looked about. She saw Elsa had joined them, and then off to the side, a small piglet came out from behind a basket.

"Pig!" Anna cried out, and took off after it.

"Anna, wait!" Elsa called after her sister, to no avail. She watched as the pig ran into a narrow alley between two buildings. Anna tried to follow, took the turn too fast and smashed into a table of pastries. The table overturned, dumping them all into the street.

"Don't worry! Queen Elsa will pay for them all!" Anna told the baker, before she ran into the alley.

Elsa looked at the building the pig had disappeared behind, and noted that it was built against the hillside. There was only one way the pig could come out, another alley to her left. She walked over to where she could see down the other alley, just in time to see the pig round the corner, running directly at her.

_Let's see how well he can run on ice_ she thought. Elsa lifted her right leg, then brought her foot down sharply. A sheet of ice spread outward from where her foot landed. With a gesture, she extended the sheet into the alley, covering its entire length. The pig slipped and fell on its side, sliding down the gentle slope of the alley toward Elsa. She stooped to catch it.

Anna came tearing around the corner, not seeing the ice. "What? Elsa!" she screamed, as she fell and slid toward her sister.

Elsa saw the pig and Anna barreling toward her, and jumped to the side to avoid being knocked over. She looked to where the two would end up, and saw they would both slam into the side of a stone building on the other side of the street. She quickly made a pile of snow just in time for the pig, followed by Anna, to plow into it.

Anna dug the snow away from her face. "Elsa! What was all that?"

"Sorry," Elsa said, smiling and looking embarrassed. "I just was trying to catch the pig."

"Well, get me out of here."

"Grab the pig, and I'll dispel the snow."

Anna saw the pig struggling to free itself, reached over and caught hold if it. Elsa raised her hands, and the snow rose into the sky and dispersed.

Dana ran over and placed a rope leash on the pig. "Thank you Princes Anna! Thank you Snow Queen!"

Elsa looked at Anna. "Snow Queen?"

A woman came up behind Dana and placed her hands on his shoulders. Elsa guessed she was Dana's mother.

"Your Majesty, don't you know the old story?" the woman asked.

"No, what story?" Elsa said

"Well, imagine a snow flurry, with flake being blown about every which way in the wind. It almost looks like a swarm of bees, a swarm of snow bees. All bees have a queen, so snow bees must have a Snow Queen."

"So, I am the Queen of the snow bees?" Elsa asked Anna.

"It could be worse. They could call you the Frost Queen, or the Ice Queen, or would you prefer the Frigid Queen?"

Elsa put her hands on her hips. "I would prefer Queen Elsa of Arendelle!" she said angrily.

"All rulers get nicknames. There was Ivan the Terrible, Bloody Mary, Charles the Bad…"

"This is supposed to make me feel better?"

"Oh, come on! They wouldn't use it if they didn't love you. Look, everyone loves you."

A small crowd had collected as they were talking. One woman called out. "Your Majesty, I thought you wore a gown made of ice?"

Elsa looked at her dark violet dress, well decorated with Rosemaling. "I don't wear it all the time. Today, I felt like dressing casually."

"Oh, I was so hoping to see the ice gown. I hear it's absolutely gorgeous."

"You can always make one," Anna said.

Elsa considered, smiled at the woman, and then dropped her hands to her sides, fingers angled out, palms facing down. With a gentle gesture, she started a wave of Power flowing up her dress, transforming it into glittering blue woven ice.

The crowed applauded, and Elsa bowed.

"What else is there to see here?" Elsa asked of Anna.

"I'm not sure. We seem to be at the village wall. I think though there we get into the fields." Anna indicated where the road went through a passage. She walked to the arched portal, with Elsa following.

Outside the village were farms and grasslands, spanning the valley at the eastern end of the fjord. Far across the fields Elsa saw two large standing stones. "Is that…?"

"Mother's and father's memorial? Yes. You have never been here?"

The two started along a faint path leading through the grass.

"No. After I heard about their death, my Power was out of control. I couldn't go out, everyone would have seen. I thought about trying to go at night, when no one was about. Every time I tried, things would start to freeze. I never made it."

"You have now. I had to come here, alone. I had to bury our parents, alone."

Elsa placed a hand on her sister's shoulder. "I'm sorry. I so wanted to be here. For you, for them."

The two stood there for a long moment, looking at the twin stones, remembering.


	5. The Interview

Kai stood at the door to Elsa's study, waiting for her to finish. She looked up from the scroll describing the fifth applicant for the job as chancellor. So far, all had ranged from unsatisfactory to total disasters. Based on what she was reading, this last one was, by far, the most qualified.

"You may show Johan in," Elsa said to Kai. He nodded and opened the door. A moment later a tall, thin man, dressed in plain grey clothing entered. Kai left the room, closing the door.

"Your Majesty," Johan said, bowing to Elsa. She gave a single nod in return.

His long, thin face sported a short charcoal beard that made his face seem even longer. Straight black hair extended almost to his shoulders. Johan held himself with aristocrat poise. His expression was almost blank, as though he was indifferent to everything and anything the world had to offer.

"Please be seated," Elsa said, indicating the chair in front of her desk. She waited for Johan to get settled. "So, Why Arendelle?" she began.

"I have been looking for work for a few months, since being dismissed from my last position," Johan said in a deep voice. "This is by far the most interesting offer I have seen, especially considering your present position."

"My present position?"

"As Queen, with magic powers, of a relatively small kingdom. I expect there will be, ah, interesting times ahead. You may have need of an advisor with experience in diplomacy."

Elsa looked down at the scroll. "I see that 'diplomat' was your previous job. Why did you leave?"

"I was dismissed. The King died, and his son ascended to the throne. He had several friends of his own, to whom he wished to give positions in the Royal court."

"I read his letter of recommendation. It was rather…odd. I was not sure if he was praising you, or being sarcastic. 'I am sure you will be quite satisfied when you and your Kingdom get nothing more than peace,'" she read from the scroll.

"His main issue with me was that I would compromise too much, in order to avoid war. I fear his new diplomat may be more demanding, and the result will be conflict."

"You see yourself as one to help keep Arendelle out of war?"

Johan reached up and stroked his beard. "Yes. Among other things."

"Oh?"

"In any Royal court, there is always the need for someone to take care of matters of protocol and etiquette, to handle foreign visitors, and take care of various details. For example, there is the way you handle yourself."

Elsa looked puzzled. Johan continued. "Consider something as simple as the way you wear your hair."

"There is something wrong with my hair? It's a traditional style, a single braid worn across the heart." Elsa said, with just a bit of an edge in her voice.

"It is not the current style among Royalty. It is the look of a peasant."

"What's wrong with peasants?"

Johan drew his head back just a fraction of an inch, then smiled gently. "I am pleased to hear you say that. It is uncommon for rulers to have such an enlightened understanding. The issue is not that there is something wrong with peasants; it is that you are not a peasant. The difference may be nothing more than an accident of birth, but it is, never the less, an important difference. In a time of crisis, the people will look to you for guidance, and for hope. You need to look regal, to instill confidence in your leadership, even though everyone knows it's all for show. In that same vein, you really should wear your crown."

Elsa frowned. "I threw my crown away right after making my ice palace. At the time I thought I would never be the Queen again."

"Perhaps you should retrieve it? Or perhaps you should obtain a new one."

"Perhaps" Elsa said, as she looked at the other scrolls stacked on her table. Some were for those she had already interviewed; two were for applicants she had yet to see. None were as qualified as Johan. As annoying as he seemed to be, she had to admit he would do the job better then any other possibility available to her.

Johan interrupted her thoughts. "Your majesty, I must admit to some curiosity. I have never actually seen your, ah…"

"Power?" Elsa finished for him. She turned her right hand palm upward and created a few snowflakes.

Johan barely reacted. "Remarkable. Quite different from some of the stories I had heard."

"There are stories about my Power?"

"A few. Some are so ridiculous as to be dismissed outright. I had heard that you needed to recite some sort of dark incantation before you could use your Power."

"Where did you hear that?"

"It came from townsfolk where I presently live. It would appear to be a rumor."

Elsa frowned, finding this information disturbing. She set the matter aside, and stood. Johan rose in response.

"I assume I will be hearing of your decision soon?" he asked.

"No, there is no need." Elsa responded. Johan actually looked a bit disappointed, his head dropping just a fraction of an inch. "You have the job. When can you start?"

Johan quickly regained his composure. "A month. I need to retrieve my family, and close out other matters. It is a ten day voyage, each way."

The door to the study flew open and Anna came storming in. "Have you seen this latest letter? Unbelievable! 'My wife was terrified. She was sure she was going to freeze to death.' Then there is this: 'I hold you totally responsible for the damage to my ship.' What about the responsibility of Prince Hans?"

"Anna…" Elsa tried to interrupt.

"He's the one who sentenced you to death and tried to kill you, making you so terrified that you created that one last massive storm. He's the one who should be getting all this mail!" Anna glared at Elsa, then finally noticed Johan. "Who's this?"

"Anna, I would like to introduce Johan, our new chancellor. Johan, Princess Anna."

"Your Highness," Johan said, bowing to Anna.

Anna looked Johan up and down, and then sidled over to Elsa. " Are you sure?" she said, almost whispering. "He looks kind of creepy."

"I am standing right here," Johan commented.

"Yes, I'm sure," replied Elsa. "Of all the applicants, he is the best qualified by a wide margin. Johan is an accomplished diplomat, and can help us with matters like that letter you have."

"Yes," said Johan. "In many cases such as this, a simple apology can suffice. In other cases, more extensive negotiations may be called for."

"Letters? Negotiations?" said Anna. "That's not what's needed. What's needed is for all these people to get to know Elsa better." Anna thought for a moment, and then her face brightened. "I know! What we need is to have another Royal Ball. We'll invite everyone so they can see that Elsa is a wonderful person." Anna turned to Johan, crossed her arms, glaring at him, challenging him to refute her. Internally, she marshaled arguments to counter his inevitable rejection.

Johan, towering over Anna, practically had to look down his nose to meet her gaze. He regarded Anna for a few seconds, and then made his pronouncement.

"That is an excellent idea."

Anna raised a finger, pointing it at Johan's face. "It is not a terrible idea! It's a fantastic idea and you would see that if you were not so… Wait, what?" Anna looked at Elsa in confusion.

"A party puts the guests at ease," Johan explained. "They are more likely to set their egos and petty squabbles aside and make decisions that are in the best interest of themselves and their subjects." Johan turned to Elsa. "Your sister has good instincts."

"Ah, thank you?" Anna said, still looking confused, not quite understanding how she got her way so easily.

Elsa cocked her head, thinking. "We should be able to do it. What do you think would be a good date?"

"I don't know. What's coming up?" Anna paused, thinking. "How about my birthday? That's just a few weeks away."

Elsa shook her head. "Too soon. We need time to prepare and send out invitations. Also, I would like our new Chancellor to be there, and he needs time to move his family to Arendelle. Besides, I have other plans for your birthday."

"Really? What?" Anna said, looking excited.

"That would be telling," Elsa said, with a sly little smile.

"Oh, come on! No more secrets, remember?"

"Don't think of it as a secret. Think of it as a present. One you will unwrap on your birthday."

"Fine," Anna said, pouting. "But, if not on my birthday, then when? If we wait too long, we'll start getting winter storms, and no one will want to come."

"How about Michaelmas?" Elsa suggested. "That should give us plenty of time to get ready."

"That's twenty nine September? I guess that will work, although it sounds a little odd to have a Royal Ball to celebrate the cows being brought down from their summer pastures. Who do we invite?"

"Certainly everyone we had at my coronation, except the Duke of Weselton. I'm not sure what to do about The Southern Isles."

"Don't invite them!" Anna exclaimed. "Prince Hans tried to kill both of us."

"True," Elsa agreed. "But I don't think his actions were sanctioned by the Southern Isles. I assume you saw the letter apologizing for his actions, and stating Hans was in jail, awaiting trial?"

"Yes, I did. I don't believe it, I think it's all for show. We cannot trust them."

"Has the Southern Isles done anything else against you?" Johan asked.

Anna put her fists on her hips. "No, Prince Hans was quite enough! He left me to die, I was frozen solid!"

"Your Majesty, tread carefully here. You do not want to turn an ally into an enemy, just because one errant son did you harm. Long, bloody wars have started on far less."

Elsa looked like she had tasted something bitter. "I'll consider it. Right now I'm inclined to not invite them."

"That is your prerogative. If I may ask, just what is your current status with Weselton?" Johan inquired.

"We have ceased all trade with them, and canceled all future contracts."

"That explains what I saw at the docks."

"What was that?" Elsa asked.

"Many of the dockworkers were standing around, with nothing to do. Creates were stacked high, awaiting shipment."

"There has been some disruption of trade. I'm sure we will find new partners and markets. It will just take time. As for now, Johan, you need to return home and start your move. Anna, you can find the guest list we used for my coronation and start working on invitations. I need to talk to Captain Walcott of the Royal Guard."

"Oh?" Anna asked. "About what?"

"I want him to send some men up to the ice palace and retrieve my crown."

"Your coronation crown? I loved that crown; it was beautiful! Why not go yourself? We can both go. I'd like a chance to actually see the palace without having to worry about bringing you home or being chased by a giant snow monster."

Elsa's shoulders dropped while she gently shook her head. Frost began to spread across the floor. "I almost killed you there, and one of the Duke's men. Then I was almost killed myself. I just… Besides, it's fifteen miles, each way. I would be gone for over a day."

"It's only ten if you make a shortcut by freezing the fjord again," offered Anna.

Elsa glared at her, and then went to the door. "The Royal guard can do this task. We have other tasks." She opened the door and spoke to Kai. "Could you summon Captain Walcott, please?"

Johan regarded the frost trail Elsa had made as she walked to the door.

"I'm sure you'll get use to it," Anna said to him, then strode out of the room. Secretly, she hoped to hear him run away, screaming.

Elsa tuned back to Johan, and saw him examining at the frost. Although obviously interested, he did not appear at all concerned. Elsa took a moment to calm herself. "I apologize. The discussion of the events at my ice palace must have upset me more than I realized." With a wave, she dispelled the ice.

"Your Majesty," he said, bowing, before leaving the room.

Elsa returned to her desk and began sorting through the paperwork associated with hiring the new chancellor. Soon, Captain Walcott entered. Elsa saw that he looked tense and distressed, but had no idea why. She decided to just get down to business.

"Captain, I have a job for you."

"Whatever it is," he said in a voice filled with sorrow, "I must refuse."


	6. Captain Walcott

"What?" Elsa was momentarily shocked. "You are refusing a direct order? Why?"

Captain Walcott closed his eyes, and his shoulders slumped. "Your Majesty, it's not that I'm refusing to follow your orders, it's that I'm resigning my commission, and leaving your service."

Elsa placed the scroll she was holding on the table, and stood. "I don't understand. What's wrong?"

The Captain opened his mouth, but no words came out. He tried a second time, again without success. He decided to change what he was trying to say. "It may be easier to explain if I show you. Please, come with me."

Elsa had no idea what was going on, but was willing to let the Captain explain it in his own way. She followed him as he led the way to the lower levels of the castle.

"This is where the dungeon is," she commented. "I've always wondered why we call it a dungeon."

"It's a holdover from an earlier time, when it really was a dungeon. Now these are just holding cells for prisoners. It's a place where we can keep them until we can turn them over to the town constables, or deport them. Prince Hans, the Duke of Weselton and his men all spent a few hours here, until their ships were ready to receive them." Walcott opened a door to a cell.

Elsa looked in and recognized which cell the Captain had led her to. The floor was littered with rubble, and the back wall was mostly missing, allowing a direct view of Arendelle's harbor beyond. She took a few slow steps into the cell, remembering her time here, and how she had caused all the damage when her Power went out of control. Elsa turned to Walcott and awaited an explanation.

Walcott stepped into the room, knelt and picked up a chain. One end was fastened to a plate riveted to the floor. At the other end was an odd manacle, one that looked like a metal mitten, designed to completely cover one's hand. The manacle was badly damaged; in places the metal appeared to have shattered, as if made of glass.

"Did you not wonder where these chains came from?"

Elsa looked at the manacle, remembering how she had awoken in the dungeon, wearing them. They had obviously been designed to suppress her Power. "I had assumed Price Hans had them made after he captured me at my ice palace."

Walcott shook his head. "Look at the metalwork, the filigree patterns. Only an hour passed from when Hans returned with you, to when you regained consciousness. These could hardly have been made in that sort span."

Elsa took the chain, examining the restraint. She looked up in confusion. "Then, what?"

Walcott's head dropped, and he forced the words out. "Your father had them made."

"What? I don't believe it! Why would he do such a thing?"

"The King was afraid that one day his very talented daughter would be unable to control her Power."

Elsa looked up at Walcott in shock. She could hardly believe what she had just heard. But, more she thought about her father, and his efforts to help her gain control, the more sense it began to make. Even so, this revelation did not explain the matter currently at hand.

"What does this have to do with you resigning?"

Walcott turned away from Elsa. She realized that he was finally coming to the crux of the situation.

"Most everyone in the Guard knew about your Power, but very few knew about these chains. You father had me swear an oath. If he was ever unavailable, and you lost control, I was to do everything I could to keep you alive and well. The King was sure that if your secret ever got out, people would demand your execution. He was willing to do anything to keep that from happening, to keep your Power under control. If absolutely necessary, I was to place you in these chains, rather than having you put to death.

Then when Prince Hans returned with you. I panicked. I told him about the chains, and helped lock you up. When he sentenced you to death, I agreed without protest."

The Captain tuned to Elsa and came to attention. "Your Majesty, I ignored the oath I made to the King. I am no longer fit to serve. I request that you accept my resignation."

"Captain, it was a difficult situation. At the time, you had every reason on believe Prince Hans was acting in the best interests of the Kingdom…"

Walcott interrupted, "I swore an oath, a solemn oath, to the King, to your father, to protect your life at any and all costs. I ignored it to protect myself. I cannot be trusted, I am unfit for service."

"Captain…"

Walcott spoke though gritted teeth. "Your Majesty, _please_."

Elsa lowered her eyes. "Very well, your resignation is accepted. Despite everything, it has been a pleasure serving with you. What will you do with yourself?"

"I have relatives who own a farm not far from here. I will live with them."

"Do you have any recommendations as to your replacement?" Elsa asked.

"Yes, but first you should know that several of the men feel the same as I do, and will be leaving with me."

Elsa became concerned. "That will leave me rather short staffed."

"I took the liberty of contacting an old friend, one Commander Lars. He has recently become available, along with some of his own men. He has agreed to travel to Arendelle to interview for the job."

"I have never heard of this Lars."

"He's a good man, Your Majesty. He will serve you well."

"Very well, I thank you," Elsa said. She looked down at the chain she held. "Before you leave, there is one last request of you."

"And that is?"

Elsa looked at the chains she held, and let her Power flow. The chains become covered in frost. Metal creaked and pinged in the intensifying cold. After they were encased in frost, she threw the chains down onto the stone floor. The frozen, embrittled metal shattered into a dozen pieces. "Have these removed and sold for scrap." With that, the Queen strode from the cell.


	7. Ruin and Crowns

"Sir? I think that's it, up there."

Ensign Gregrory looked in the direction indicated by Private Fredrick. "Yes, That's the ice palace. We will have to leave the horses here, it's becoming to steep for them."

The two Royal Guardsmen dismounted and secured their horses.

"You have been here before," said Gregrory. "Lead the way."

"There was quite a bit more snow then. Now we need to pick our way thorough these rocks," replied Fredrick, as he took the lead. The two climbed in silence for several minutes.

"What do you make of Captain Walcott's resignation?" Fredrick asked.

Gregrory shook his head. "A unfortunate turn of events. Walcott was a good man, I'm sorry to see him leave."

"Have you heard anything about his replacement?"

"Lars? Only that he is a real spit and polish man. He will demand the best from us. But he's also said to be fair and reasonable."

The two stopped at the edge of a chasm. "It appears we have arrived." Said Gregrory.

The two looked up at the massive palace, it's blue and green walls gleaming in the sun. They stood at the base of a broken stairway.

"When I was last here this stair spanned the chasm. It was somewhat damaged by the fight, but it still stood," Fredrick said.

"It's down now. Only a few steps remain at either end. We will have to climb around."

The two worked their way around the chasm, climbing up and to the right. After a short time, they gained the front door of the palace.

"There appears to be quite a bit more damage than just the stairs. Many of the spires are gone, and I see a few cracks in the walls," observed Fredrick.

"We will take this slowly. The Queen wants us to find her crown, but she also said she wanted us to return safe and sound. We will be taking no unnecessary risks." Gregrory pushed the icy door, finding that it opened easily. The two looked in.

They saw the first floor was littered by shards of ice and a few snowdrifts. A couple of piles of ice could be identified as the remains of ice sculptures, possibly fountains.

"I see no sign of that snow monster," Fredrick said.

"Queen Elsa said we should stay clear of him if we did. However, I doubt we will see him. The reports said he was defeated by Prince Hans, and fell into the chasm."

"Yes, that's what I saw. But I'm not sure that would finish him off."

The two slowly walked into the palace, looking about.

"The Queen told me that she discarded her crown on the upper floor," Gregrory said. "Given all the damage I'm seeing, it could have fallen down here. We will need to search both floors. Of the two of us, I am the lighter. I will climb the stairs, while you search down here."

"Yes, sir. Be careful."

Fredrick started shifting through the rubble and brushing snow aside, while Gregrory slowly made his way up the interior icy steps. After few a minutes, a loud _Crack!_ filled the palace.

"Private! Report!" Gregrory called down from above.

"Sir! I am fine. Did you see what that was?"

"No. My guess is it was just the ice settling. The structure does not look excessively damaged. This palace has stood for weeks, I doubt it will choose the very moment we are here to collapse."

"If it's all the same to you, I'd prefer we find that crown and get out of here," Fredrick called back up.

"Understood. Keep searching."

Half an hour passed as the two looked about their respective floors.

Fredrick heard a gentle _ping_ from above. He looked up in time to see a small piece of ice fall from the chandelier, crashing to the floor just a few feet away.

"Did you see that one?" Gregrory called down from above.

"Yes, sir. Just a small shard."

"How much of the lower floor have you searched?"

"I've given all of it a quick examination, and I am now about half way through a more thorough search," Fredrick replied.

"The upper floor is smaller, and I'm quite sure the crown is not here. I'm coming down. I'm considering terminating this mission."

Fredrick slowly moved to where he could see the grand stairway more easily, while continuing to look for the crown. He watched Gregrory come down the upper portion of the stair, reach the intermediate landing, and start down the lower set of steps.

When Gregrory placed his weight on the second step, it gave way with a loud crack. He quickly grabbed the railing, and managed to haul himself back up to the landing.

"Sir? Are you alright?" Fredrick asked.

"Yes, but I had better not try jumping the gap. If one step is ready to go, all the others could be too. I'll secure my rope to this support pillar, and climb down."

Soon, Gregrory joined Fredrick on the ground floor. "My initial evaluation of the damage may have underestimated the danger. We're leaving, now."

"But we haven't found the crown! What will we tell Her Majesty?"

"I'll report that the extent of the damage prevented us from locating the crown, and it may be best if she were to return and repair this palace first."

Fredrick looked down and shook his head. "I hope that works. I would hate to end up as an ice sculpture."

"I have never seen Queen Elsa use her Power in anger. As far as I know, she never has, except to defend herself. There is nothing to worry about."

"I cannot believe it has taken us this long to look over the Royal chambers!" Anna said, skipping a few steps as she walked beside Elsa.

"We have been busy these last few weeks. How are you doing on the invitations to the ball?"

"All done and sent out. We have even received one reply; form a local merchant. He said that he and his wife would be happy to attend, and asked if we would be holding it at the ice palace."

"The ice place?" Elsa exclaimed. "Why would he want to attend a party in an ice palace?"

"Oh, come on! That place is beautiful, and everyone knows it. He even said so himself, also saying his wife would _so like_ to see it."

"The ice palace not that beautiful any more. I just got the report form the guardsmen I sent there to retrieve my crown. They said it's damaged, and they could not find my crown in all the debris. They searched fairly thoroughly, and thought the crown might not be there at all."

"You could fix the damage," Anna suggested.

"The Guardsmen suggested the same thing." Elsa shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. I want to put that place behind me. Besides, we cannot be taking the guests up the North Mountain. It's a long hike up some rather steep terrain. Can you imagine everyone trying to get home at the end of the ball? Walking down from the mountains in the middle of the night?"

Anna was quiet for a while, as the two walked toward the Royal Chambers. "I know! Make a new one!"

"What?"

"Make a new ice palace. You can put it much closer to Arendelle, so anyone can visit."

Elsa stopped in front of an ornately decorated door. "That's an interesting idea. Also, if I made a new one, I could make it more suitable for visitors, and holding events like a Royal Ball."

"That's the thinking. Also the tourists can visit it. Did you know we have tourists?"

"No. Why would we have tourists?" Elsa asked.

"That would be because of you, and the ever growing fame of the Snow Queen."

Elsa rolled her eyes. "I hope they aren't expecting me to put on shows. I have a kingdom to run. Now, where would we put a new palace?"

"How about that field to the west of town?"

"The one used as a practice area by the Royal Guard?"

"Oh, I didn't realize that." Anna thought for a moment. "The fields to the east are used for cattle. Where else is there? Oh! How about at the top of the cliff above the town? There is this one hilltop up there that's fairly flat."

"I've never been there. How do you get to it?"

"Well, you take the road out of town for about half a mile, then there's a horse trail that leads off to the right. It goes right to it."

"I'll have to take a look. It sounds like a long walk."

"Sure. We don't have to walk, we can ride up there anytime."

Elsa looked Anna in the eyes. "Actually, I never learned how to ride a horse."

"What? How could you not learn how to ride a horse? We both had all these tutors come in and teach us everything."

"I just didn't do it. I was worried I would get scared and my Power would hurt the horse. I don't even have a horse."

"Sure you do. There is this black mare in the stables that's yours whenever you want her. The stable hands have to keep a horse for you, after all. What if one day you ordered 'bring me my horse', and there wasn't one?"

Elsa drew her head back in surprise. "I had no idea. I guess it's time for riding lessons. But for now, shall we go in?"

Elsa opened the door, and the sisters entered the Royal Chambers. Windows on the right looked out over the fjord. Before them, on the far wall, was a large canopy bed. Several dressers, bureaus and closets lined the walls, along with a few paintings.

Anna walked over to one painting showing her mother sitting in a chair by a window, holding a strawberry blond baby. Elsa followed, taking her sister's hand. They stood there for a moment, remembering.

"Alright," Anna said. "Lets look at what we have." She started for a door on the left the entrance. Elsa instead went to one of the bureaus, sat, and started looking through the drawers.

Anna went into the next room. "I think this was the servant's quarters. There are no windows," she called out.

Elsa found her mother's jewelry collection. After a short time, she came across an antique crown.

Anna had gone to another door, and looked in. "Oh, this is much nicer! It looks like it was a nursery. There is even a crib in the corner. That can be moved. But there is a window, and a separate door leading to the hall. Can I have this room?"

"Sure," Elsa said distractedly, still looking at the crown.

Anna walked over. "What have you got there?"

Elsa handed her the crown. "When the Guardsmen could not find my coronation crown, I decided to see if mother had an spare."

"Looks sort of old. This is a style from, what, two generations ago?"

"Still, I am the Queen. Johan recommended I should wear my crown."

"It doesn't have a comb. Don't tiara's have combs? What holds it on?"

Elsa took the crown back. "Think of the it as a hairband. It holds onto the sides of the head. My coronation crown was the same way." Elsa looked at her reflection in the mirror above the bureau, and set the crown on her head. It fell forward. She adjusted it, until it stayed in place, but did not look very stable.

"That crown doesn't fit very well," Anna observed.

Elsa frowned, took off the crown and set it on the bureau. "Help me put my hair up."

With Anna's help, Elsa wound her hair into a roll above her forehead, and wrapped her braid into a bun. She set the crown back on her head, placing it behind the roll.

"You look like mother," Anna said.

Elsa frowned at her reflection. "I look like I did before I accepted my Power." She turned her head side to side, examining herself. "It reminds me of that time, a time of fear. Still, this is the look Johan recommended."

"Johan gave you fashion advice?"

"He said looks are important, and as Queen I should look properly regal."

"Alright, stand up." Anna walked across the room to a chair, and turned it to face Elsa, who looked back questioningly.

"Stand up," repeated Anna, gesturing.

Still confused, Elsa did so.

"Now, be the Queen," Anna requested.

Elsa understood. She walked to the center of the room, faced the chair, and adopted her royal poise. Gracefully, she walked to the chair, turned and sat. Moving just her eyes, she looked sideways at Anna, raising her chin just a hair. She followed this with a gentle smile and a slight cocking of the head.

"Wow. He's got a point. With that look, you dominate the room," Anna said.

Elsa sighed, stood, walked back and sat before the mirror. "Still, it just doesn't feel like me."

"You are the Queen. You can wear what you want."

"I know. But that just makes it harder. I can wear what I want, but there are good reasons to look like this, reasons I agree with."

"One day one way, next day the other?"

Elsa had to laugh at Anna's suggestion. "How about I dress for the occasion? I think I can live with that," Elsa said, as she stood. "Shall we move in?"

"Sure!" Anna agreed. "I'll go find Kai."


	8. Sargent Lars

"Please, be seated," Elsa said to Sargent Lars, indicating the chair facing her desk. The man seemed to insist on being at attention, even during what was supposed to be a friendly job interview. Behind her, a few remaining raindrops from this morning's storm pelted the window.

Lars walked to the chair and sat, looking uncomfortable in the grey light. Clean-shaven, except for a small mustache, he looked every inch a military man, right down to his close-cropped brown hair. He even sat at attention.

"So, why Arendelle?"

"Your Majesty, truthfully, I had not been thinking of Arendelle at all," began Lars. "A message from Captain Walcott made me aware of your situation."

"Why did you decide to follow it up?"

"I, and my men, have been out of military service for almost a year now. We have been doing odd jobs, guard duty, and the like. I have taken some jobs training others. We have been looking for steady employment. Your situation appears to fit our need."

Elsa picked up a note. "I found some information on your last position. What I found was confusing. On one hand, the last battle you participated in was a resounding success. On the other, your immediate superior had some rather harsh words to say about you."

"Oh?" Lars said, leaning forward. "I have not seen that, although I can imagine it does put me in poor light."

"It says that you are insubordinate, and will put any kingdom you serve in danger by not following orders."

Lars nodded. "Given what happened, that is what I would expect."

Elsa put the note down, and looked Lars in the eye. "What did happen?"

Lars retuned her gaze. "Your Majesty, one of the outlying villages rose up in rebellion. They put together a rag-tag fighting force and used it to stop all trade in their area, in an effort to pressure the kingdom into making concessions. I was commanded to defeat them and re-open the trading routes. My men were successful in doing so.

Then came the order that caused all the problems. We were ordered to slay everyone in the village. Every man, woman and child."

Elsa stiffed, shocked. "Why?"

"My commander said they were a danger to the kingdom, as they all supported the rebels. He insisted they are all traitors, and should be treated as such."

"Did they all support the rebellion?"

"As far as a I could tell, some did, some did not. Most just wanted the fighting to end so they could get on with their lives. In any case, I fight soldiers, not unarmed women and children. In addition, such a massacre was against the laws of the kingdom."

"Then, how could your commander give such an order? How did he expect to get away with it?"

"He expected us to cover it up. I told him that neither myself, nor my men would have any part in such a massacre. If he wished to bring me up on charges, I would be happy to explain the entire affair to the magistrate and the King. Instead, he ordered us to leave, and never return."

"And now you are here," Elsa said. "If I hire you, you will not be commanding a small group of men, but my entire Royal Guard. How do you see your duties?"

"Your Majesty, if you hire me, my duties will include protecting you and your kingdom, and to insure that you can protect yourself," he said.

"Protect myself? You doubt my Power?" she asked, creating some snow above an open palm.

"Your Power is not in question. Yet despite your Power, two men armed with nothing more than crossbows defeated you, and almost killed you. That should never have happened."

His words came as a surprise. She thought she had done rather well during the battle at the ice palace. "You think I should have been more violent? Tried harder to kill them all?"

"You abandoned a position of strength and ran in panic. You could have blocked the entranceway to your castle with a wall of ice and avoided fighting altogether. Your Majesty, being a warrior is not about fierceness, or killing. It is about strategy, tactics, skill, practice, and remaining in control, even in adverse conditions."

_Remaining in control, even in adverse conditions._ Those words struck home. On hearing them she realized he offered what she was looking for.

"You have trained others with magic powers?" She asked.

"No, you will be the first. Much of my experience has been in training soldiers. I have trained some very talented men. I expect this will not be too different. In any case, this will be a learning experience for the both of us." Lars paused, choosing his words. "If I may ask, what training have you had to date?"

Elsa looked down at her hands. "My father worked with me. He tried to teach me to remain calm. Fear is my enemy; it causes me to lose control. Father had me wear gloves, so I would not fear freezing everything I touched. To help calm me, he had me recite a rhyme. _Don't let them know, don't let them see. Be the good girl you always have to be. Conceal, don't feel, don't let them know_."

Lars knitted his brow and cocked his head. "Did the King take you out to a field where you could use your Power without fear of hurting anyone?"

Elsa looked up in surprise. "No, he did not want to risk anyone seeing."

"Did he set aside a room here in the castle where you were free to use practice your Power, without anyone knowing?"

"No, he wanted me to control my Power, not use it."

Lars frowned. "Your Majesty, please excuse me for asking such a blunt question, but was the King teaching you to _control_ your Power, or to _suppress_ your Power?"

Elsa said nothing for a few seconds. "I never thought of those things as being different."

Lars sighed, looked down for a moment, and then met Elsa's gaze, frowning. To Elsa, it almost looked like he was getting ready to instruct a new recruit. "Your Majesty, one does not learn to control a horse by _not_ riding it. I assume you know what one is supposed to do if you fall from a horse?"

"You get back on." Elsa began to feel anger rising at Lars' attitude.

"And to your credit, that is exactly what you did. I understand you have been freely using your Power since you ended your winter. However, you should make every effort to practice. The more you use you Power, the better you will get with it. I also believe you can learn to remain in control even when you are afraid."

"Really. Based on what?" Elsa said, with an edge in her voice.

"I have taught many new recruits. In a practice session, they can perform flawlessly. That all changes the first time they find themselves in battle. They will typically freeze in fear, as though all their training has been forgotten. With experience, and training, this reaction can be prevented. The fear does not go away, they learn to focus on doing their job despite the fear. If you hire me, I will…"

Elsa interrupted. "If I hire you, you will do well to remember who is Queen."

Lars stopped, mouth open. He closed it, and returned to sitting at attention. "Apologies, Your Majesty. I fell into my role as a trainer. It is customary that, when training Royalty, they are treated as any other recruit would be treated, without any special consideration. To do otherwise can undermine morale."

Elsa allowed herself to relax. "Understood." She rearranged a few papers on her desk, more for show than anything. "As for the job, I have few options. When Captain Walcott left, so did most of the older members of the Guard. Those that remain are younger recruits. I would prefer someone with more experience, rather than promoting a new recruit."

Elsa stood, and Lars followed suit. "If you want the job, it is yours," she said. "How soon can you start?"

Lars bowed. "Thank you, Your Majesty. I can begin immediately. I will send for my men, and they should be here for your inspection in two weeks time."

"Very Well." Elsa walked around her desk. "Would you care to look around?"

Lars gave a little bow. Yes, Your Majesty," and followed Elsa out of the room. There she saw Kai coming to meet her.

"Your Majesty, Princess Anna is asking if you will be able to meet her for lunch."

"Oh, at The Rusty Pelican." She turned to Lars. "Captain Lars, I would like to introduce Kai, the head of the household staff. Kai, this is Lars, our new Captain of the Royal Guard."

The two bowed to each other. Elsa addressed Lars. "Anna has been looking for things for me to do about the village, to get better in touch with my kingdom and subjects." She turned to Kai. "Yes, I can make lunch. Where is Anna?"

"She is awaiting you in the courtyard."

"I'll go meet her. In the meantime could you show Lars around? When I get back, we will do the formal transfer of leadership."

"Very well, Your Majesty."

Elsa watched Kai start the tour, then made for the courtyard.


	9. The Rusty Pelican

"I don't think she will want to do that, Laei," Anna explained to a group of children.

Laei looked around the castle courtyard, and then pleaded to Anna. "But rain is boring! We want snow. Please, please, _please_ ask the Snow Queen to turn the rain into snow? Please?"

Anna stood up strait. "She prefers to be called 'Queen Elsa' or 'Your Majesty', and you can ask her yourself. Here she is now."

The children turned around and saw Elsa walking toward the group. She waved to Anna, who returned the gesture. Laei ran up to the Queen.

"Sno…. Your Majesty, could you turn the rain into snow? We all want to play in the snow! Please?"

Elsa widened her eyes, raised a hand to her chest and let her mouth drop open. "Turn the rain into snow? But that would freeze all our crops! You would not want all our food to be frozen, would you?"

"You can freeze all the spinach," another child said.

"And what about our cows?" Elsa continued. "They need grass to eat, and the grass needs rain. Snow would kill the grass. Besides, it looks like the storm is letting up."

The children all looked down, disappointed.

"How about I make some snow for you to play in? Would you like that?"

They all cheered as Elsa created a pile of snow near one wall of the courtyard.

"Thank you, Queen Elsa!" Laei said, as the others ran to the snow.

"You're looking rather elegant today," Anna said, admiring Elsa's blue and purple dress, all well decorated with rosemalling. Her hair was up, and she wore her mother's antique crown. "Is there going to be some sort of formal event I wasn't told about?"

The two started walking out of the courtyard, through the castle gates and onto the causeway.

"No, I wore this for the interview with Lars. I decided to look professional when interviewing our new Captain of the Royal Guard. You would know about these events if you would show up for morning briefing once in awhile."

"I do show up. I make one just last week. It's just that you hold it so early in the morning."

"We hold it at 8:30."

"That's what I said. Early."

Elsa closed her eyes and sighed.

"I hope you're not overdressed for this restaurant. Kristoff said it was a workingman's place. I fact, when I mentioned the idea of showing it to you, he said that maybe we shouldn't go."

Elsa looked at Anna. "Wait, he recommended we _don't_ go?"

"He also said it's his favorite place to eat. We cannot pass that up! Besides, you said you wanted to see all Arendelle has to offer."

"Actually, I think that was your idea."

"Whatever," Anna waver her hands dismissively. "I cannot imagine it will be all that bad."

They walked along the waterfront, circling Arendelle's harbor. The buildings became older and more decrepit looking as they proceeded.

"How's the horseback riding lessons going?" Anna asked.

"Good. Yesterday I mentioned to my tutor that eventually I wanted to ride up that trail you mentioned, the one that leads up to the hill above the village. She said I was ready now, so we rode up there. The trip was a little scary, but not too bad. You were right; it's a good location for the new ice palace. We need to get that trail widened in to a proper road. The guest carriages need to be able to get up there."

"Oh! I know just the people to do it. Unless you want to just use your Power."

"Let me guess, Jorgansen's Construction? The same company you hired to repair the hole I put in the castle? And no, I will not take jobs away from the workers with my Power."

"Yup. They did a great job."

"Fine. Hire them on, and you can manage the project."

"Thanks. Just what I always wanted, a job managing people digging dirt." Anna pointed at a sign. "Is that it?"

Elsa saw a rusty sheet of iron cut out into the outline of a pelican. It hung over a stairway leading down, to the basement of a building.

"That's it? Are you sure?" she asked.

"I think so. Lets go down and see." Anna started down the stairs, with Elsa following.

They entered a small dark room. A few men sat at the closely packed tables. The walls were decorated with torn nets, broken oars, and weather worn buoys. A few dim oil lamps provided the only light. One man quickly hid something when he saw Elsa. Everyone else froze and stared.

"Y-your Majesty?" stammered the barkeep. He made a clumsy attempt at bowing. "May I help you? Are you lost?"

"Is this the Rusty pelican?" Elsa asked.

"Aye," the barkeep replied. "What brings you here?"

"Lunch," said Anna, as she took a seat on a stool at the bar. "What's on the menu?"

"Well, ah…" he indicated the chalkboard on the far wall. The sisters studied it for a few moments, and made their selections. The barkeep bowed again, and rushed to a back room.

"He seemed rather flustered," Elsa observed. "I don't think they are use to royalty being here."

"I don't think they are use to having _women_ in here. It is rather… rustic," Anna replied, as she looked about.

One of the men quietly spoke to another, "I wonder what old Thor would say if he knew the Snow Queen was here." They both smiled.

Anna and Elsa turned around on their stools. "Old Thor?" Elsa asked.

The speaker looked up, embarrassed. He thought he was talking quietly enough to not be overheard. "Thor is a fisherman. He has... had an old broken down fishing boat. He claims you destroyed it."

Elsa looked confused. "I destroyed it? I don't remember destroying a boat."

"It happened in that storm you make last month," another customer volunteered.

"It was crushed in the ice?"

"No. Thor's boat burned to the waterline!" All the men in the room laughed.

Anna looked at Elsa in confusion. She returned the look. Behind them, the barkeep returned with their food.

"What happened?" Anna asked.

"Well, it was like this. All our boats got locked in the ice. Thor decided he was going to free his."

One of the others interrupted. "The old fool never considered that he would not be able to sail anywhere, with the fjord being all ice!"

The first continued. "He thought he could free it by melting the ice. He piled a bunch of wood in a big ring around his boat, soaked it all in oil and set a torch to it. Sure enough an ember flew out of the fire and landed on his boat. She caught fire and burned to the waterline!" The others continued to laugh and shaking their heads.

Elsa composed herself. "It sounds like he made a mistake and burned his own boat."

"Aye. He admits he made a mistake, but he also claims he never would have tried if it was not for your ice!"

Elsa thought for a moment. "The kingdom does have a legal system. If Thor feels he has a valid claim against me, he can take the matter to court. If they rule in his favor, I'll pay for the damage."

One man in the back spoke up. Elsa realized he had not been sharing in the other's laughter. "Oh, and why should you do that? We are really to believe that you, a Queen, a Queen with magic powers, is going to give money to a commoner just because a court said you should?"

Anna started to stand up. "Hey! You should not…"

Elsa raised a hand to stop her. "It's a valid concern. We are all still getting use to this," Elsa created a few snowflakes above an open palm before addressing the room. "These are modern times, and Arendelle is a modern kingdom. Gone are the days where a tyrant could operate above the law. Well, at least in the civilized part of the world. The laws of the land are binding to me, just as much as anyone else. To ignore a court ruling, or to misuse my Power, would incite dissent, rebellion, and brand me a despot and a monster. I will not do that."

Several customers nodded. The one in the back still looked dissatisfied. "What about throwing us all out of work?" he asked.

"What?"

One of the others explained. "Many of the dockworkers lost their jobs when you cut off trade with Weselton. Some of us have gotten new jobs, but not all."

"It is an unfortunate situation. The Duke tried to have me assassinated. After that, I had to cancel all trade, at the very least. I'll see if we can accelerate the establishment of new trade agreements."

Another spoke up. "I thought you wore some sort of sparkly blue dress. What happened to that?"

"You mean the ice gown?" Elsa asked.

"Aye, that one. We all like seeing a girl in a pretty dress."

Elsa examined the faces turned in her direction. She was not sure she liked some of the looks she was getting, but decided to indulge the group in any case. "I can make an ice gown whenever I wish." She stood, dropped her hands to her sides, and with a gesture transformed her dress into one of blue-white woven ice.

One of the men started to get up and move toward Elsa. "That's what we want to see," he said, smiling lecherously.

Elsa raised a hand and shot some Power into the air. Ice splattered across the ceiling. She cocked her head at him, smiling gently. The message was clear: _Look, don't touch_. His smile vanished as he sat back down.

Elsa tuned to her meal. She noticed the train of her gown was draped over Anna, the bar, and her food.

Anna moved it aside. "Maybe you should think about new dress designs."


	10. Thin Ice

"That was different," Elsa said, as she reached the top of the stairs leading up from the Rusty Pelican. The afternoon sun shone between fluffy clouds, set in a sky washed clean. "Maybe we should have followed Kristoff's advice."

"Oh, come on!" Anna replied. "You need to learn how to have fun. Besides, the food was delicious!"

"That it was. They must keep the best and freshest catches for themselves."

Behind them, a woman screamed. "Your majesty! Look out!"

Elsa turned and saw four men, swords drawn, trying to sneak up upon her.

"She's seen us!" called out their leader. "Get her!"

Elsa froze, not sure what to do. Then she remembered Captain Lars' advice: _Barricade_. She raised her hands, Power flowed, and an ice wall rose up between the sisters and their attackers.

The four all skidded to a stop before the wall. One swung his sword at it, chipping the half-foot thick ice. Another spoke to the leader, "What now, Garth?"

Garth glared at him angrily, "Run around, you idiot!" Two ran to the left, while Garth and the other ran right. Elsa felt her heart pounding. She could think of nothing to do other than to create five more walls. Anna ducked just in time as Elsa swept her arms around and back, enclosing them both.

Garth stopped, regarding Elsa with squinted eyes and a deep frown. She could almost feel the hatred from the man. Garth sheathed his sword, reached to the back of his belt and pulled out two ice axes. He swung one at the wall, pulled himself up, and then planted the second one higher. Hand over hand, he began to climb.

Elsa continued building the wall up and in, roofing over the structure.

"She's trapped herself!" Garth yelled to his men, pulling his axes free and dropping to the ground. He swung at the ice, which chipped and cracked. With a second swing some ice flakes spalled off the inside, showering Anna. One large piece hit Elsa in the left arm. Eyes wide, she backed away, looking side to side for some escape. Frost spread from where her feet touched the street paving. Another swing from Garth, and the tip of one axe penetrated all the way through the ice.

Elsa extended a hand to the wall to her side, and let her Power flow. All the cracks closed, and the hole filled. Garth swung again, but to no avail. The damage he did to the ice was quickly healed.

Elsa tried to relax, allowing herself to smile. _I'm doing it! I'm controlling the situation, and no one is getting hurt! _Wave after wave of white Power pulsed through the ice.

"Everyone! Get your axes and swing here!" Garth indicated a spot on the wall directly facing Elsa. The other three crowded around Garth as best they could. "All together! NOW!" All the axes hit as one, shattering the ice. Shards flew in all directions. Anna covered her head, while Elsa turned away, trying to block with an arm. One fragment caught her in the temple. Stunned, she fell to her knees.

"Elsa!" Anna screamed, as she ran to her sister's side. "Are you alright?" She put an arm around her sister, trying to help her back up.

"What?"

Anna looked at the hole in the ice. The attackers continued to pound away, widening the gap. More ice showered about the inside of the enclosure. The hole was almost large enough for them to climb through.

"Elsa! You got to get up! You need to fix the wall!"

"The wall…" Elsa said, groggily. She tried to raise a hand, but could not hold it steady. Her eyes seemed to focus on nothing.

Anna stood, grimly setting herself between Elsa and the attackers. She watched as they raised their axes for a final blow.

Garth screamed in pain as an arrow struck his leg. The other three attackers turned, just in time to see a half dozen men running at them. The attackers had no time to defend; they were quickly overrun, and knocked to the ground. Several of the rescuers held the attackers down. One of them calmly walked up to Garth, a hunting bow in hand. He knocked an arrow and pointed it at Garth's head. "I think you had better drop the axes, matey."

""You don't understand! She's a monster!" Garth pleaded. "We almost had her! You would have been free of this sorceress's evil! No longer would you be living in fear of imminent death at her icy hand!"

One of the other rescuers pulled a knife. Anna recognized him as Nadir, the barkeep from the Rusty Pelican. "You insult our Queen one more time an' I'll gut you like a fish!"

Garth opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He shut it, looking stunned and confused.

Anna went back to Elsa, who was still struggling to her feet. "It's alright, we've been saved. Lay down, and rest."

"Saved? By who?"

Anna looked at the men who had come to the rescue. "I think they are the customers from the Rusty Pelican. Oh, and it looks like the village constables are coming too."

Elsa looked through the ice wall, seeing several men dressed in the deep green uniforms of the Arendelle constables. While several took custody of the four attackers, one came to the hole in the wall. "Your Majesty? Princess? Are you alright?"

"Elsa has been injured. Get that hole open and help us," Anna called out.

"I'm fine," Elsa said as she struggled to her feet. "I've had worse." One leg buckled under her, but she managed to hold onto Anna, and not fall.

"You are not fine. We need to get you to the doctor." Behind her, Anna heard the ice being broken away. Soon, two constables came in and helped bring Elsa outside.

"Lay her down here," said Anna. One of the men from the Rusty Pelican took off a jacket and used it as a pillow for Elsa's head.

Elsa looked up at all the faces crowding around, looking down at her. "You came to save me?" she asked.

Nadir spoke. "Well, we heard a commotion at the top of the stairs. Jak here went to see what it was, and said you were under attack. We could not let that happen! Sure, there have been a few problems as of late, but you are still our beloved Snow Queen."

"Thank you," Elsa said weakly.

"Did anyone think of calling the Royal Guard?" Anna asked.

"Yes," one of the constables replied. "They should be here shortly."

"Better late than never. At least they can help us get Elsa back to the castle. And we're going to need a carriage."

A few minutes later, Lars, along with four guardsmen, rode up. The guardsmen dismounted and quickly went to Elsa, moving everyone else aside. Lars talked to the constables and the others, learning about the details of the past events. A small crowd of villagers had gathered to watch.

"What do we do with this lot?" Lars asked Elsa.

Various people, from the Rusty Pelican to the assembled crowd, responded.

"Let the Queen freeze them to death!"

"Imprison them in the castle and let them rot!"

"Oh, just run 'em through and feed 'em to the fishes." Garth said.

"Yeah!" yelled several onlookers, shaking their fists in the air. "Kill them all!"

Elsa looked at the crowd; concerned they were turning into a mob. "Help me up," she ordered. The guardsmen responded.

Nadir looked at Elsa and motioned to Garth and the other attackers. "All yours, Your Majesty."

Frowning, she gave Nadir a single shake of her head, and then addressed the onlookers. "While it is true that, in times of crisis, I have the broad authority to order executions, this is not such a time. These four will be charged with two counts of attempted assassination. They will be tried in accordance to our law, and, if found guilty, sentenced." She nodded to the constables, who lead their captives off.

"Nadir, I wish to thank you and your customers for coming to my aid," Elsa said.

Anna went up to him and took his hand. "I was so relieved! When I saw them break through, I was sure it was all over. Then, you arrived! Thank you so much! Oh, I know! As a reward, you are all invited to the Royal Ball!"

"Anna…" Elsa began.

Anna quickly looked at Elsa, silencing her with a scowl, then back to Nadir. "It will be great. We're having it on Michaelmas, in a new ice palace right up there," she said, pointing to the top of the cliff to their east. "There'll be food, and music, and dancing, and everyone will be there."

"Well, that's mighty nice of you," said Nadir. "But we've never been to any fancy balls before. I don't even know what to wear."

"Oh, don't worry about that. Just dress nicely, and warmly. Elsa will be making the entire palace out of ice."

"Well, thank you. And let me just say, you are both invited to the Rusty Pelican, anytime you like."

"Thank you." Anna turned to Elsa, smiling.

Captain Lars came to Elsa's side. "Perhaps you should refrain from leaving the castle, or at least have several of the Guard with you when you go out," he suggested.

"You want to put me back in a cage?" Elsa said angrily. "I will _not_ lock myself up again. As for guards, I do not want to cut myself off from my subjects."

"Very well." Lars walked over to the remains of the ice. He turned to Elsa, holding up his hands about three feet apart, palms facing each other. "Then, may I suggest, thicker walls."


	11. Reaction

"Very well," Elsa said nodding to the Royal Treasurer. She looked at the next person seated at the conference table. "Kai?"

"Preparations are continuing for your sister's birthday party. We should be able to get everything done in time." Kai's shoulders dropped, and he looked down at the table. Elsa could see he was tired.

"Is there an issue?" she asked.

"The same one, I'm afraid. We are still under-staffed. May I ask when our new chancellor is scheduled to arrive?"

"Next week, a day or two after the party. I'll see what we can do about getting more staff." Elsa glanced at the empty seat reserved for Anna, who was supposed to be handling the staffing issue. She turned to the last man. "Finally, Captain Lars?"

"I will be spending the day organizing the Guard, insuring my men and the current members will work together as a team. I have nothing special planned."

"Can you make some time for myself this morning?" Elsa asked.

"Of course, Your Majesty. May I ask, what for?"

"After yesterday's events, I thought it would be best to start with the training you recommended."

Lars raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure you are up to it? Yesterday, you were stuck in the head."

Elsa smiled. "The doctor said I'm fine. Just go easy on me this first day, alright?"

Lars nodded.

Elsa stood, and the others followed suit. "Thank you all. Tomorrow, same time."

Elsa sat back down, resting, watching as everyone else filed out of the conference room. Just before Lars left, Anna pushed her way in.

"I'm here, I'm here! Don't start without me!" She looked around, then back to Elsa. "Oops. What did I miss?"

"Anna, these briefings are to keep you, me and everyone up to date on our activities, the state of the Kingdom, and to plan anything we will be doing during the day. You really need to make an effort to be here, on time," Elsa said, frowning.

"Oh, come on. I really don't do much around here."

Elsa stood. "You're supposed to be getting the new road built..."

"It's being built."

"… and hiring more staff. Kai is at his wits end. And that's not even the point."

Anna walked over to Elsa, putting her hands on her hips. "And what is the point?"

Anger crept into Elsa's voice. "You. You need to be ready to handle the affairs of the Kingdom. You need to know how to work with everyone, you need to know what is going on."

"Why? You're the Queen."

"Maybe I wont always be the Queen. Or maybe I'll fall ill, or maybe I'll need to take a trip somewhere. You need to be prepared for anything."

"Oh, just let that new guy, Johan, handle it. It's why you hired him isn't it?"

"No, it's not. He's here to help, not run things. He isn't royalty! _You_ are!" Elsa swept her hand to the side. Ice sprayed across the floor, up the wall and onto a window. The glass promptly shattered, shards falling to the floor.

The sisters stared, wide eyed, at the debris and yellow icicles, then back at each other.

"Anna…"

"Elsa…"

"I'm sorry," they spoke together.

"Anna, is there something about these meetings you don't like?"

"I don't know." Anna said, turning slightly away from Elsa. "It just that, it feels…"

"Do you think you can keep something bad from happening to me by not being prepared? Like, you can control fate?"

Anna looked at Elsa in surprise.

"You mean as long as I am not prepared to be Queen, you must be Queen? So nothing bad will happen to you?" Anna smiled, almost laughing. "That would be sort of silly, wouldn't it?"

The two embraced each other's arms. "So, can you show up for these meetings? For me?" Elsa asked.

Anna smiled, closed her eyes, and nodded.

"Good. Now, I have to go see Captain Lars." Elsa looked at the mess below the window. "I seem to have…"

"Broken the castle? Again?"

Elsa laughed. "Yes. Do you think you can see to getting it fixed?"

"Sure."

"Thanks. Here, let me at least clear the ice."

* * *

Elsa approached the training grounds, seeing several men practicing with crossbows. She could not stop thinking about Anna, and how she needed to be more responsible. Her own loss of control also weighed heavily on her mind.

Lars supervised his men as they shot targets that had been set up at the far side of the field, against the base of the cliff.

"Captain Lars?" Elsa asked.

He turned, and bowed. "You Majesty. Thank you for coming." He looked at Elsa's blue-white gown, with it's gossamer train blowing gently in the breeze. "I'm not sure if, what is essentially a formal evening gown, is appropriate attire for combat training."

Elsa forced a smile. "It's what I was wearing the two times I've been attacked. What do you think I should be wearing? A Royal guard uniform?"

"Do you possess one?"

Elsa drew her head back. "You're serious? No, I don't."

"Perhaps you should. You will find it much easier to run laps around the field in a uniform than what you are wearing now."

"Run laps? You must be joking!"

"Not at all. Not today, of course. Not with your recent injury. However, a sound body will serve you well. Keeping physically fit will help you be prepared for anything."

Elsa froze, staring at Lars, remembering speaking those same words to Anna just moments before.

"Also, we should see about getting you some armor to wear. For today, I mainly want to show you one thing." Lars motioned to the men taking target practice.

"The Guardsmen practicing with their crossbows?"

"Yes. Notice where everyone else is standing?" he asked.

"They are all behind the archers."

"Correct. I advise you to do the same when you use your Power, especially any time you feel less than in full control. Make sure no one is standing in front of you."

Elsa thought back to the two times she accidentally hurt Anna. The first time she was facing her sister, but not the second.

She shook her head. "The last time I hit Anna with my Power, she was almost directly behind me."

"The last time? Was there a previous time?"

"Yes, when we were children. She was in front of me when I tried to make a snow pile for her to jump into. I slipped, and hit her instead."

"No safety measure is perfect. We can only do our best. Being aware of who and what is around you will help prevent accidents."

Elsa sighed, and nodded.

"Now, I'm not sure if you wish to do anything more, given how upset you are."

"What? Why do you think I'm upset?"

Lars motioned to the ground behind Elsa. She turned, and saw a trail of frost leading back into town.

"It looks like I cannot hide much of anything from anyone," Elsa said, frowning. "My emotions can influence my Power. I had a disagreement with Anna. We resolved it. I had not realized it left me feeling badly."

"Stress is something all soldiers face in battle. You need to learn to relax. Try this: Close you eyes, take a deep breath. Hold it for just a few seconds, then release it."

Elsa did so.

"One more time, with me." Elsa and Lars breathed together. "Now does that help, just a little?"

Elsa turned her head, cocking an eyebrow. "A little. When my Power gets like this, it feels like a churning storm inside me. Usually I just try and hold it in, except for when I made my ice palace. Then I let the storm out."

"Did that help?

"Immensely," Elsa said, remembering how she felt as she created her palace.

"If you are willing, perhaps we could try something right now, on a smaller scale."

"Such as?"

"Remember how, yesterday, I recommended that you use thicker walls to protect yourself? Later, I found myself wondering if that was good advice. Just how thick an ice wall can you create?"

Elsa held up her hands, looking at them. "I don't actually know. Some of the columns in my ice palace are several feet thick."

Lars motioned toward the field. "Care to find out?"

Elsa turned to the field, raising her hands. Beside her, she saw Lars stiffen. A sideways glance at him revealed he was looking at her sternly, frowning.

Elsa remembered. She took a few steps forward, taking a position in line with the archers.

"Cease fire, clear the field." Lars ordered. The archers fell back, leaving Elsa alone.

With her last step, Elsa planted her right foot solidly on the ground. A sheet of ice spread outward from where her foot fell. With a wave of her hands, she extended the sheet across the field.

_He wants a thick wall? Lets see what he thinks of this!_ Elsa lowered her hands to her waist and let the Power surge. Snow swirled about the field. As she slowly raised her hands, hexagonal pillar, a hundred feet across, grew upward. Initially, the ice was plain and featureless. When the pillar reached a hundred feet high, she felt the need to add adornments; flutes, spires, walls and ramparts. She topped it all off with a single tall spire and a large snowflake.

With a kick, Elsa pushed herself forward, skating toward the structure. She turned just as she reached its side, swiping her right hand against the wall. A wave of Power swept through the ice, filling it with light and structure.

Elsa did a pirouette, stopped, facing Lars, spread her arms, and bowed. Lars hardly noticed. He stood transfixed, staring upward at the tower before him. Elsa skated to his side.

"What do you think?" She asked, smiling.

"No army in the world could get through that," Lars said softly. He then noticed Elsa. He shook his head, blinked twice, and focused on her. "Ah, yes, quite impressive. Is it solid ice?"

"Yes, at least here at the base."

Lars studied Elsa for a moment. "Your mood seems different. Do you still feel that swirling storm?"

Elsa held her hands against her abdomen. "No," she said, in surprise. "It's gone."

"It would appear that the reaction of your Power to your emotions goes both ways."

"What do you mean?"

"You said earlier that your Power reacts to your emotions. It appears that your emotions react to your use of Power."

"I've never thought of it that way. When I created my ice palace, I felt wonderful, elated. I thought it was simply because I had set myself free of having to stay in concealment and a constant state of fear."

"Perhaps it was a bit of both. In any event, I have another recommendation for you. Whenever you are feeling a loss of control, come here, to the practice field. Use your Power."

Elsa looked dubious. "That's exactly the opposite of what I've been doing my entire life."

"Given your past experience, which way makes sense?"

Elsa thought for a moment. "If I did come here, what, exactly, would I do?"

"We can set up some simple exercises, such as target practice."

"Target practice?" Playfully, Elsa made a snowball between her hands, and with a burst of Power, launched it at the tower. The ball spattered against it's side.

"Yes, but with an actual target."

Elsa laughed. "Perhaps I should clear the ice and give you your field back." She raised her hands, dissolving the tower into a swirl of snow. She sent it up into the sky, letting flakes disperse.

"Thank you." Lars motioned to the Guardsmen. They came forward to resume their practice.

"I noticed that you braced yourself when you launched your snowball,"

Elsa looked puzzled for a moment. Then she extended a hand, as though she was launching another snowball. Almost instinctively, she moved one leg rearward. "I have to. When I push with the Power, it pushed back."

"Interesting."

"It has always been like that. As a child I would cover the great hall with ice, then push myself around with my Power."

"This reminds me of something I've read. A natural philosopher, his name I do not recall, devised some laws of motion. One stated: 'For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.' Crossbowmen feel this reaction whenever they fire."

"This law applies to magic?"

"He made no statements as to its applicability to magic. He thought it was a universal law. It would appear that, in your case, it does apply."

Elsa stood in silence for a moment, then formed another snowball, and launched it at one of the archery targets, feeling the Power pushing back. The snowball sailed across the field, hitting the cliff a dozen feet above the target.

"It takes practice," Lars said.

"Another time. Now, I have to work on preparations for my sister's party."

"Another time then." Lars bowed.

Elsa bowed her head in return, and then started back to the castle.


	12. What to Wear

"Kristoff? Why did you call me here, to the gate? You can come in anytime," Anna asked.

"In a moment" the ice merchant answered. "First, how's Elsa?"

"She's recovering. The fever broke last night, and she has been up a few times. I persuaded her to spend one more day in bed before resuming her duties."

"Good. How are you doing?"

"I'm doing great! It's kind of fun telling everyone what to do." Anna adopted her Royal poise, extended her arm, pointing in various directions. "I get to tell everyone what to do."

"I was afraid that you were upset at how much went wrong at your birthday."

"Oh, it was fine! You did a great job holding it all together, considering."

Anna noticed a small, old man who seemed to want to hide behind Kristoff. His grey hair and beard were unkempt, and his homemade leather clothes were dirty, and well worn. The man would not meet Anna's gaze. He stood, hunched over, clutching a large leather bag, as though he did not want to be seen. To Anna, he looked terrified.

"So, what's going on?" she asked.

Kristoff put a hand at the old man's back and tried to urge him forward. He took a few tentative steps toward Anna.

"This is Raul, a friend of mine. He's a woodsman, and found something that might interest to you."

Raul bowed several times, mumbling something that sounded like "Nice to meet you, Your Highness", before backing up a step.

"Oh? What is it?" Anna asked, looking at the bag.

Raul clutched the bag, looking at Kristoff.

"You can show her, it'll be fine." Kristoff said, urging him forward a second time.

Raul opened the bag and pulled out some purple cloth. He looked at Anna, judging whether or not he needed to run.

"What's that?" Anna asked, reaching for the cloth. She managed to grab it before Raul pulled back. A large sheet began to emerge. Slowly she pulled more and more cloth out of the bag. It was soiled, and torn in several places.

"Here, help me get it all out so we can see," Anna said to Kristoff. Soon they had spread the item out, finding it about six feet wide and a dozen long. On one edge, a gold and blue broach hung. On another there were darker purple patterns, barely discernable through the dirt and damage. Anna recognized one pattern as a crocus flower, the symbol of Arendelle.

"Oh! It's Elsa's cape, from her coronation gown! You found it!" she exclaimed.

The woodsman nodded vigorously. "It's alright, then?" he asked.

Anna frowned at the holes and tears. Raul took other step back. "It looks pretty damaged. I'll have to ask our tailor if he can mend it." Anna reached for the broach, which served as the cape's clasp, and removed it. "Elsa will be glad to get this back. It's worth something like twenty thousand."

Both Kristoff's and Raul's eyes got very big. They looked at each other, stunned at what they had just heard.

"Twenty _thousand_?" Raul said softly. Kristoff whistled, very low.

Anna thought for a moment, and then spoke to one of the guards at the gate. He bowed and waked to the castle.

Both men continued to stare at Anna and the clasp.

She held it out, so they could get a better look. "Well, first, it's gold, solid gold. Then, this gem came from a long ways away, from some country in the east. Even there, it's rare. But this is nothing compared to Elsa's coronation crown. If you can find that, wow, it would be amazing." Anna held up her hands, turning her eyes upward.

The guard returned, and gave Anna a small bag. She handed it to Raul.

"Here is your reward," she said.

"Reward? I get a reward?" Shaking with excitement, Raul opened the bag and counted. He looked at Anna in surprise. "A thousand? Thank you, Your Highness! Thank you!" He turned and started back across the causeway to the mainland, practically skipping.

"What was he so scared of?" Anna asked Kristoff.

"He thought you were going to blame him for the damage, then have the Royal guard haul him off to Elsa, who would freeze him."

Anna laughed. "Where do people get these ideas?"

"Raul is a loner…"

"Like you"

"Quite a bit more than me. He almost never comes into town. This may be his first visit here in years."

"Alright. Now, it's almost lunchtime. Want to go someplace?" Anna asked.

"Can you?, I thought you were taking care of Elsa."

"Now that she's better, I can leave her in Gerda's hands."

"Alright, where do you want to eat?"

"I don't know. How about your place, the Rusty Pelican?"

Kristoff rolled his eyes. "I still cannot believe you and Elsa went there. You two made quite an impression; Nadir has really cleaned the place up. He even got new sawdust for the floor."

"Sounds like he's ready for us. But first, I should take the cape to the Royal tailor. Here, help me fold it up"

The two folded the tattered cloth into a more manageable bundle.

"That should do. Come on in, you can wait for me in the castle," Anna said.

The two started across the courtyard. "So, you are going to come to the snowman making contest, right?" Anna asked.

"That's in four days?"

"Yup. It was going to be part of my birthday party, but we had to delay it when Elsa got sick. Also, we're going to have a big snowball fight!" Anna raised her fists to her chest, bouncing on her toes. "It's all going to be so much fun!"

"I wouldn't miss it for anything."

"Great! Now, wait here in the great hall, I'll just be a moment."

Anna waved to Kristoff, and then made her way to the workshop of the Royal tailor. There she saw him, along with his apprentice, working on a garment. He looked up from his workbench.

"Princess Anna, what can I do for you?"

Anna held up the folded bundle. "A woodsman found Elsa's cape in the…woods, I guess."

The tailor adjusted his glasses and took the bundle from Anna. He looked at it, fold by fold, frowning and shaking his head. "A shame to get it back in this condition."

"Can you fix it?"

"No, it is too far gone. The repairs would show, and be quite ugly. Its just rags now." He set the cape down,

Anna produced the clasp. "At least we got this back."

"Ah, excellent. I will insure this is properly cleaned and stored. Now, I do have one request of you."

"I have one for you too."

"Oh?"

"Do you have Elsa's head size?" Anna asked.

"Her head size? I'm sure I have it. What's this for?"

"After all the presents and work she did for my birthday, I felt like getting her something. I assume you've noticed she sometimes wears her hair up, along with her crown, and sometimes down, without a crown?"

"Yes I have. I understand she prefers to wear her hair down."

"Right. That's her 'Snow Queen' look. But don't tell her I said that."

The tailor raised an eyebrow. "Don't tell her?"

"Oh, come on! Some of the best things begin with 'don't tell Elsa'. Well, not the big scary magic things. This isn't one of those, it's just that her crown doesn't fit very well, and she has to have her hair up to support it. I want to make her a new crown, one she can wear anytime."

"You could take her existing crown to a whitesmith and have it modified."

Anna momentarily glanced out into the hall to make sure it was empty. "But then it wouldn't be a surprise," she whispered, smiling.

The tailor looked at Anna over the top of his glasses for a moment. "Very well. I'll write her head size down for you. Also, I suggest making a new crown out of silver." The tailor handed Anna a slip of paper. "Silver will better compliment her hair and eye color."

"Thanks!" Anna turned to leave, then stopped. "Oh, wait. You had a question for me?"

The tailor looked down and sighed. "It's a bit difficult. Could you talk to Her Majesty and see if you could convince her to stop destroying her wardrobe?"

"What?"

"Every time the Queen makes an ice gown, whatever she is wearing is destroyed. On your birthday she did the same to your clothes. I understand these ice garments do not last?"

"Mine fell apart as soon as I moved away from Elsa. I don't think she has ever managed to save one of hers. We think her Power sustains them when she is close. I guess she could make a little cloud to follow me around like she did for Olaf."

"The result of Her Majesty's activities is I have to replace all the original garments." The tailor motioned to a half competed dress on another table.

"That looks like Elsa's coronation gown, except I don't see any Arendelle green."

"It is indeed a replacement gown. Her Majesty seems to prefer the color blue, so I decided to try something a little different."

"And then she makes a new ice gown that's green. I bet you didn't see that one coming." Anna looked of the side and giggled.

The tailor again regarded Anna over the top of his glasses. "In any event, to help convince Her Majesty to preserve her clothing, I have obtained this." He held out a bolt of sparkly blue cloth.

"That's almost the same color as Elsa's ice gown."

"Yes. I can make her a copy, out of cloth. She will always have an ice gown to wear."

"You know she can make one right before she gets dressed, and not destroy anything? Also, she can make it any color?"

"I am well aware of Her Majesty's Power. However, she prefers blue, and the dress style you refer to as her 'Snow Queen' look. Also, there is a tendency for one to not make something that one already possesses. Having the copy may help convince her not to make another, or at least consider the consequences before she does."

Anna reached to the cloth, looking and feeling it. A sly smile formed on her face. "Alright, but I'd like you to do one more thing."

"And what would that be?"

"Make an ice gown for me too. And don't tell Elsa."


	13. Rock

Elsa walked into the conference room, surprised to see Anna, already seated at the table. "You actually got here ahead of me," she said, resting a hand on her sister's shoulder.

"I asked Olaf to wake me up in time."

"He actually remembered to do that?" Elsa asked, as she sat at the table's head.

Anna cocked her head, smiling. "Not really. Early this morning he woke me up, complaining his nose was missing. Turns out it had just fallen under his pillow."

As they talked, Captain Lars entered, and took his seat.

Elsa looked up, seeing all her senior staff was present. "Thank you all. Lets begin. First, I would like to welcome our new Chancellor, Johan, to his first morning briefing."

Johan closed his eyes and nodded once.

Elsa continued. "As a reminder, this meeting is to coordinate our daily activities and insure we all know what is going on. It is not for long discussions, or making major decisions. If such a decision is needed, this is the time to schedule the meeting for discussing it. First, does anyone have any pressing issues?"

Bishop Norgard spoke up. "The wedding between Manning and his fiancée Thyra is back on."

"Oh? They reconciled?"

"Yes. It turns out, you were the issue."

Elsa looked confused. "I know they asked that I attend. But, what was the issue?"

"Manning wished for your attendance, but not Thyra. She is sure you are planning on transforming all her decorations to your own, made from snow and ice. Manning convinced her otherwise, saying that he would talk to me, and I to you, to insure that would not happen."

Elsa smiled. "You can tell Thyra that I will respect her decorations. The wedding is at eleven?"

"Yes, with a lunchtime reception," Norgard said.

"Very well." Elsa looked around the table. No one else spoke up, so she turned to her right. "Anna?"

The princess jerked awake, opening her eyes. "What?"

"The road?"

"Oh, right, the road. The workers are having trouble. They think they cannot get it done in time. It turns out that there is this one big rock outcropping they are having trouble removing. In fact, they asked for you to come up and see if you can…" Anna waved her hands about, as if she was using Elsa's Power.

"Remove it? You know I do not like using my Power to take work away from the workers."

"Yes, but this time it's the workers who are asking for help."

Elsa frowned. "I'll see about getting up there right after lunch. Anything else?"

Anna shook head.

"Johan?" Elsa asked.

"I will be spending most of the day reviewing your current treaties." Johan said. He paused to examine the sisters, Elsa with her hair in a single braid laid across her heart, and Anna's twin braids. "Also, we should discuss palace protocols."

"Today already looks busy," Elsa said, trying to dodge the issue. "Perhaps tomorrow." She looked to the next person at the table. "Colborn?"

The Treasurer spoke. "A new set of trade offers has arrived. None are very good. But given the current circumstances, we may need to accept a few bad ones."

Johan looked at Elsa, his brow knitted.

Elsa nodded to him. "As long as we don't interrupt each other, anyone can speak at any time," Elsa explained.

"What current circumstances?" Johan asked Colborn.

"It has been several weeks since we broke off trade with Weselton. We have not been able to establish sufficient new trade to make up the loss. Currently, the Kingdom's expenses are greater then our income."

Norgard spoke up. "We have been supporting several families who have lost income, due to lack of work." He looked at Elsa. "We are running low on funds."

"I can make another donation," she said, looking to Colborn.

"The treasury can support it. Our reserves are still in good shape. But the trend is worrisome. Can we meet to further discuss the new agreements, this afternoon?"

"I should have time after I deal with the construction." Elsa turned to Johan. "It's you job to keep track of my schedule."

"Yes, Your Highness. Would it be appropriate for me to attend your meeting with Colborn?"

"Of course. Your insights will be useful. None of these meetings should be considered private, unless we specifically state otherwise." She looked at the next person. "Captain Lars?"

"Nothing to report. However, I would like to observe your efforts with the rock outcropping."

"Very well. Meet me at the stables at one. Kai?"

"I would like to thank Princess Anna for helping me complete the new hiring. We should have no additional staffing issues. Preparations are beginning for the Michaelmas Royal Ball. We will have quite a bit to haul up the hill. I hope the road and ice palace will be done a few days prior?"

Anna grimaced, hunching her shoulders. "Ah, maybe?"

Elsa looked at her sister, waiting for the full explanation.

"It's just that they are behind schedule, due to that outcrop. I'll go up there right after the meeting, to see if I can get them going on the rest of the road."

"Thank you." Elsa surveyed the room. "Anything else?"

No one spoke up. "Thank you. I'll see you all here, same time tomorrow."

Everyone stood and started filing out.

"Now, I have to dress for the wedding," Elsa said to Anna.

"You aren't going to wear your ice gown?"

"I don't want to worry a nervous bride, so I'll wear normal clothes."

"While you're attending a wedding, I get to ride up a muddy road and help workers. Did you know it's really tiring to use a pick and shovel?"

"What? _You_ have been working on the road?"

"Why not? The pay's the same."

"You don't get paid."

"I've noticed. Besides, I've only done a little, just to see what it's like."

Elsa put her hands on Anna's shoulders. "Alright, but be safe. I don't want anything happening to you."

Anna nodded. "Sure. By the way, what was Johan talking about when he mentioned protocols?"

Elsa rolled her eyes. "He most likely wants the two of us to always be dressed as proper members of the Royal family, wearing formal clothes, with our hair up."

"What? All the time?"

"That's my guess."

"I did that for my party, and I'll do it again whenever I go to someplace nice, and at balls, but I don't see doing it all the time."

"I'm not even sure I'll do it at the ball. I may just go like…" Elsa motioned to herself.

"In your Snow Queen look?" Anna quickly raised a hand to her mouth. "Wait, did I really say that? Sorry!"

"It's alright. I'm getting use to my nickname. It does fit."

"I think I'll change into that outfit I got from Oken. Maybe Johan will see it and faint. Besides, it's a warm dress, and it's raining out there."

Elsa smiled. "Alright. I'll see you this afternoon!"

"See you!"

"As I've said before, I will not wall myself off from my subjects," Elsa said, as she guided her horse around a puddle.

"I'm not suggesting you do," answered Lars. He adjusted his cloak against the wind driven drizzle before continuing. "I'm suggesting you don't wander about the village without guards."

"When I was attacked a couple of weeks ago, I was able to protect myself long enough for help to arrive. I followed your advice to blockade myself."

"I gave that advice in conjunction of you being in a castle, an easily defended position. When those men came at you, with swords drawn, you were exposed, in the middle of a street. In that case, a more direct approach is called for."

"You think I should have attacked them?"

"You would have been well within your rights to strike them down where they stood. They were directly threatening your life. You are the Queen."

The two riders came to where another road branched off sharply to the right, virtually doubling back in the direction they had come, and began to climb into the hills.

"Here's the new road," Elsa said, turning her horse. "If I had killed them, I would have been labeled a monster."

"Defending yourself does not make you a monster."

Elsa raised a hand and tossed some snow into the air. "_This_ makes it different. If I hurt anyone with my Power, some people will brand me a monster, irrelevant of how justified my actions may be."

Lars thought for a moment. "Perhaps we need to work on ways for you to disable someone without hurting them. I'll see what I can arrange for your next training session."

They rode on for several minutes. Elsa looked ahead as they rounded a corner. "I think that's the outcropping Anna said is causing the trouble. But I only see two workers."

A couple of hundred feet ahead the road narrowed to a path, then rounded a spur of granite. Some of the rock had been chipped away.

The two workers were loading tools into handcarts. They stopped and bowed as Elsa rode up to them.

"Good afternoon. What's going on?"

"We are just loading up the tools, Your Majesty," one said.

"We can start working on the rock again, its no trouble," said the other, as he grabbed a pick.

"No, that's not what I mean. Where is everyone else, and where is Anna?"

"Oh. Her Highness has us working on the road above this outcrop. She said there was no need for us to continue here, as you were going to destroy all the rock. We are moving the last of the tools."

"Very well. Lead on."

The two hurriedly finished loading. They pushed the carts along the trail, around the outcrop. Elsa followed as Lars brought up the rear.

Once Elsa rounded the outcrop, she saw several men scattered along the length of the trail ahead, moving dirt and rock. Anna was just a dozen feet away, walking toward her.

"There you are! I expected you at one," Anna said.

"I was scheduled to met Lars at the stables at one." Elsa said, as she looked her sister over. Her clothes were stained with dirt, as was her hair. "What happened to you?"

"I sort of slipped and fell in the mud," Anna explained, looking off to the side in embarrassment. "Twice."

Concerned, Elsa dismounted and came to Anna's side. "Are you alright? Is it even safe to be working up here?" Elsa looked over the edge, seeing the shear drop of almost two hundred feet, down to the road leading back to Arendelle.

"Oh, I'm fine. I already talked to the foreman about the conditions. He says his men are use to it, and that it's actually easier to get the work done when the rain has loosened the soil. Besides, everyone wants to watch you destroy the rock."

"Anna, I don't think I can actually destroy rock."

"Sure you can. I know you can."

Lars spoke up. "The rock can be broken and moved, but I don't see how it can simply vanish."

Anna pointed a finger at Lars. "You don't know how powerful Elsa is. She'll sweep all the rock away as though it was never here." Anna swung both arms to the side, almost slipping a third time. "Just you watch." Anna looked at Elsa. "I know you can do it."

Elsa frowned. "Alright, lets get everyone back, just in case some rock does fall. Anna, take my horse."

Everyone moved up the trail another hundred feet. Elsa waited until the others had passed her, clearing the area between the outcropping and herself. Lars dismounted and stood just behind Elsa.

Elsa checked where everyone was one last time before facing the outcrop and raising her hands. Power flowed, covering the rock with frost. Nothing else happened. Elsa tried again. The frost thickened, but the rock remained in place. Anna put her hands on her hips, looking frustrated.

"I understand it takes more than one winter to bring down a mountain," Lars said.

Elsa looked at him, then back to the outcropping. With a gesture, she melted the ice. Another wave, and the rock again become covered with frost. From within its mass came a deep-seated _crack!_

"One more cycle," Elsa said quietly, as she again melted the ice. She set herself, focusing on the outcrop, and let Power flow. Crack after crack sounded form the rock. Suddenly, the rock shattered into rubble, collapsing onto the trail. Elsa watched in horror as most of the rubble flowed across the narrow path, over the side, and cascaded to the road below.

Anna looked over the edge. "Oops. That was nothing like what I thought would happen."

"Was anyone down there?" Elsa asked, practically screaming. "I could have killed someone!" She looked over the side, at the trail, and at everyone else. "We need to get down there and see if anyone's hurt!" Elsa ran down the trail, but found it blocked by the rubble. "I need to get rid of this," she said, extending a hand. "Is it clear down there?"

Anna's smile disappeared as she realized the seriousness of the situation. She looked over again. "I don't see anyone," she said, tentatively.

"Is it _clear_?" Elsa barked.

Lars looked. "Clear!" he called out.

Elsa created ice behind and beneath the rubble, pushing it over the edge. Soon, enough of the trail was uncovered to allow passage. She went to her horse and mounted. "Everyone! We need to see if anyone was injured. Follow me!"

Anna walked with Lars as he went to his horse. "How were you so sure no one was down there?" she asked.

"You need to learn about command in situations like this. Sometimes, it is important to make a decision, even a poor one, rather than none at all. Otherwise, we could end up frozen in place, afraid to do anything. I must admit I too was caught by surprise by this turn of events."

"Alright. I hope you're right. I left my horse farther up the trail, I'll catch up."

Several minutes later, the crew arrived at the base of the rockslide. They spent the rest of the afternoon shifting through the rubble, confirming no one had been caught under its mass.

In the late afternoon sun, the two sisters slowly rode back into town. The rain had stopped, and the clouds had broken.

"I guess rocks can turn into gravel, and gravel to sand, but they cannot just go away," Anna said.

"At least not by my hand," Elsa replied. "Anna, we need to think about what might happen everytime I use my Power. We need to insure everyone is out of the way."

"Right. Safety." Anna looked at her sister. "It looks like you are about as filthy as I am."

Elsa looked at her cloths. "Looks like it. I'm sure Johan will be appalled. Good thing this isn't the formal dress I wore at the wedding."

"At least now you know how to use a shovel."

"My Power doesn't work too well when it comes to moving sand, and I couldn't just stand there, doing nothing. Besides, the pay's the same."

Anna smiled at Elsa. "You don't get paid."

Elsa smiled back. "I've noticed. Lets get home."


	14. The Royal Snowball Fight

Elsa dove for the cover of the fountain just as a snowball flew past her. She looked across the courtyard at her teammates, crouched behind their snow-fort. They smiled and nodded. They were ready to attack Anna's team, along with Elsa, from two directions at once. Elsa reached down for some snow.

There was no snow.

_There has to be some snow, I thought I made it everywhere._ Looking around, Elsa saw only small patches of sludge, almost completely melted in the warm afternoon sun. _No matter, I'll just make some more._ She held her hands a few inches apart, using her Power to quickly make a ball.

"I saw that!" Elsa heard from the other end of the courtyard. She looked over the edge of the fountain and saw Anna, standing behind her team's snow-fort, pointing a accusatory finger at her.

"Whatever do you mean?" Elsa said, smiling and batting her eyelashes innocently.

"No cheating! You know the rules. You have to make and throw snowballs by hand, just like the rest of us! Get rid of it. Throw the snowball away. Just throw it over there."

Elsa scowled, realizing she wasn't going to get away with her actions, and tossed the ball to the side.

At the same time, the four children of her team all stood and threw their balls at Anna. She yelped as two found their mark, and dove for cover. Elsa took advantage of the diversion to run back to her team.

"That didn't work at all," she said.

"What happened?" asked the oldest boy.

"All the snow over there had melted, then Anna caught me making more."

"Here, take some with you," said one of the others, handing Elsa a couple of snowballs.

"Thanks, but they'll be expecting that. This time, you two go, and I'll stay here with the rest." The eldest boy and girl both made ready to run to the fountain. "As soon as they leave, stand and look for targets," she told the others.

"Olaf!" Anna suddenly called out. Elsa saw her teammates smile, but had no idea why. She had no idea where Olaf was. A moment later the two older children took off. Snowball in hand, Elsa stood and looked for a target.

No one was in sight. Even the two at the fountain had moved around to where she couldn't see them. Elsa looked about in confusion.

"Now!" Anna called out. Everyone on both sides stood and started throwing snowballs at Elsa. Closing her eyes, she stood and let them hit. _Everyone has to throw a snowball at the Snow Queen_ she thought.

"Enough!" Elsa exclaimed, spreading her arms to dispel the snow, sending a wave of Power sweeping away from her. She carefully avoided catching the snowmen, lined up in the shade of the southwest wall, in the effect. Left over from the snowman making contest earlier that day, she did not want to destroy the children's efforts.

"Alright, lets see who won," Anna said. The sisters walked to where Captain Lars stood, observing the proceedings. Their respective teams followed.

"Your Majesty, I had your team ahead, and would have given you the win," Lars began. "However, due to your attempt to cheat at the end, I must deduct several points. Princess Anna, the victory is yours."

"Woo hoo!" Anna yelled, as she and her team all raised their hands in the air in celebration. Elsa smiled politely and clapped her hands. Shortly thereafter, her team members followed suit.

"What do we get? What do we get?" the children clustered around Anna asked.

"We are all first in line for cake!" Anna replied. "Kristoff is already cutting slices for all of us! Lets go!"

Elsa's team looked disappointed, as they stood and watched the others run to the desert table.

"Don't worry, we all get cake too," she told them. "Go ahead, and wait your turn." As Elsa watched the children run off, Johan came up beside her.

"Do you really believe this is a proper use of your talents? Or mine?" the chancellor asked.

"You were a fine judge of the snowman making contest. Beside, I couldn't do it; half of the snowmen were of me. Anna couldn't do it; she was taking turns helping all the children. In addition, there is the one we made together," Elsa pointed to the snowman at the end.

"My capability to judge snow sculptures is not the issue. The issue is weather there should have been a contest at all. Or, for that matter, a Royal snowball fight."

Elsa frowned. "You don't know the history. For years, I stayed almost exclusively in my room, hiding my Power. Anna would come to my door over and over, trying to coax me out. Her favorite offer was 'Do you want to build a snowman?' Now, finally, she has a chance to actually do so with me. The two contests were to be part of her birthday celebration, but I got sick. I'm not going to take this away from her, so we re-scheduled for today."

"I see your point. Still, this is not the type of behavior that is expected for members of the Royal Family."

Elsa used her Power to make a snowball, then straightened, adopting her royal poise. "Very well. Next year, you shall be a team captain," she said, handing Johan the icy orb.

Johan looked at the ball, then Elsa. "With all due respect, I request that I not be included." He turned his hand over, allowing the ball to drop to the ground. Elsa looked at him in frustration.

"_This_ can be fun," she said angrily, creating some snowflakes above her hand. "We need to show everyone my Power is not some horrible evil thing, but can be beautiful and fun. You even agreed with that entire concept when Anna suggested having a Royal Ball in an ice palace. I expected more from you. I expect your cooperation."

Johan dropped his head. "Forgive me. I had not thought of it in those terms." He looked Elsa in the eyes. "I will endeavor to support you as best I can."

"What about your own children? Don't you play with them?"

Johan nodded in the direction of the castle. "My wife is taking care of them in our quarters. They are a little young for these activities."

"Perhaps, sometime, you should come out with them to play in the snow."

"Perhaps."

"Excellent. Now, let's get some cake."

The children had all gotten a piece by the time Elsa arrived at the desert table.

"Your Majesty," Kristoff said, bowing while handing Elsa plate with a fork and a piece of cake.

"Thank you," she said, nodding her head in return. Then she leaned close to Kristoff and whispered; "You may be interested to know that the husband of the Princess need not bow to me."

Kristoff's eyes grew wide. "Who? What?" He looked at Anna, then back to Elsa. "What?"

Elsa smiled gently, and then walked over to Anna.

Anna noticed that her boyfriend was standing still, staring at nothing. "What did you say to Kristoff?" she asked.

"Only that members of a Royal family need not bow or curtsy to each other."

"We may not have to, but we still do sometimes. I remember that at your coronation…"Anna paused, looking at Kristoff, standing in shock, and suddenly realized what must be running through his mind. She just barely managed to suppress bursting out laughing.

"I'm not sure he's ready yet. I'm not sure I'm ready."

"Whenever you two are, you know you have my blessing." Elsa took a bite of cake. "Did you enjoy today's activities?" she asked.

"Yes. Thank you oh so much! I hope you learned your lesson about cheating."

"I have." Elsa poked her fork in Anna's direction. "I leaned that next time I need to make sure I don't get caught."

"Stinker," Anna said quietly.

"Oh? What was that business with the mass snowball attack?"

Anna momentarily bent over, giggling. "Remember when you were discussing the scoring with Captain Lars, and I was talking to the children about the rules? Well, I told them that when I called out 'Olaf', they should all get ready. Then when I said 'Now!' they should all throw their snowballs at you."

"And I'm the stinker?"

The two sisters held each other's gaze for a few seconds, and then dissolved into laughter.

"Here, have another piece of cake," Elsa said, handing a plate to Anna.


	15. Shakes and Slides

Under a blue sky, dotted with fluffy white clouds, Anna and Elsa walked along the causeway leading to town. A few puddles remained form an overnight shower, while a strong southerly wind whipped up an occasional smattering of salt spray from the harbor.

"Whumph!" Anna exclaimed, as the wind blew one of her twin strawberry blond braids into her face. For the third time, she slung it over her shoulder.

"You could have put your hair up as Johan suggests," Elsa noted.

Anna looked at Elsa, her crown in place and hair all neatly wrapped in a bun, with just her bangs blowing in the wind. "No. I'm protesting."

"Suit yourself. We could delay this outing."

"Mrs. Halvar's Pastry Shop is supposed to be the best, most elegant shop in all of Arendelle! We cannot miss it's grand opening!"

"I'm surprised there is a market for another pastry shop."

"It's because we have so many tourists. I've heard that she has all sorts of snow and 'Snow Queen' themed cookies and cakes."

Elsa rolled her eyes. "I'm still cannot get use to the idea that I'm a tourist attraction. Still, it does bring in business, and help offset our trade issues."

The sisters reached the end of the causeway, and began making their way between the stalls in the market square.

"So, we are doing alright now?" Anna asked.

"Not really. We still have people out of work, and stocks of goods we cannot sell. It looks like things will not improve this year. After all, fall is coming, and then the storms will shut down almost all trade."

"Things will work out. We just…did you feel that?" Anna stopped, looking around nervously. Others in the square were doing the same, and talking excitedly to each other.

Elsa looked about, noticing a piece of fruit tumble from its stack and fall. "Feel what? I didn't…" She stopped as the ground suddenly began shaking violently. The vendor's stalls creaked and groaned as their frames racked back and forth, their merchandise spilling onto the ground. From the village, crashes could be heard as roof tiles became dislodged, fell and shattered. Some of the stalls collapsed. After a few seconds, the shaking subsided to an intermittent trembling.

"Are you alright? Elsa asked Anna.

Anna had her hand raised to her chest. "I think so. Was that an earthquake? I've never been so scared in my life! Oh, no, here it comes again!" Anna wrapped her arms around Elsa and held on.

The ground gave a small shake that lasted little more than a second.

"Little earthquakes tend to follow big ones. Don't you remember the one we had five years ago?"

"I remember hearing about it, but I didn't feel it. I was asleep."

"You slept through an earthquake?" Elsa said in surprise. Then the closed her eyes and waved her hands. "Never mind; that earthquake wasn't as big as this one. Look, we need to make sure everyone is all right. Can you help me check around?"

"Yes, I think so," Anna said, as she loosened her grip on Elsa. "Are you all right?" Anna pointed at Elsa's feet, where a small area of frost had formed.

Elsa folded her hands over her stomach, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. "Don't worry, I'll be careful."

"The swirling storm?"

"Yes. Once this is over, I'll go to the training field and take care of it."

Anna looked puzzled. "What do you mean?"

"It's one of Captain Lars' ideas. Whenever I feel like I'm losing control, I should use my Power someplace safe. It's better to have it come out on purpose, than have it leak out without control."

"Does that work?"

"Oh, yes. Now, let's get busy."

Anna nodded and set off, working her way between the ruined stalls. The two found a few minor injuries from falling debris. After a few minutes, Anna noticed something in the distance.

"Elsa? What's that?"

The Queen looked to where Anna pointed, and saw a plume of dust streaming away from a mountain slope. Looking around the fjord, she saw several others. "Landslides would be my guess, triggered by the earthquake."

"Landslides? You don't suppose this has something to do with your Power?"

Elsa looked at her hands. "What, because I caused that small slide three days ago? I don't see how."

"Queen Elsa!" The sisters saw Captain Lars riding toward them, two members of the Royal Guard running along side. The two guardsmen deployed on either side of the sisters. "Are you well?"

"We're fine. Are there any problems at the castle?"

"I'm not aware of anything major. I have ordered patrols to cover the main roads into Arendelle, in case someone tries to take advantage of the current situation. I'm also worried about looters."

"The town constables can handle that."

"They may be busy helping the injured. I have a few men who are available immediately."

Elsa considered. "Very well. I hereby grant emergency law enforcement authority to the Royal guard." She looked Lars in the eye. "Arrest only, this is not martial law."

"Understood." Lars turned his horse and rode off.

"Making sure you keep that separation between the guard and the constables?" Anna asked.

"Yes. The military defends the kingdom and the Royal family; the constables protect the people from criminals, who are then tried by the legal system. Merging them would put me at the top of the legal system, making me judge, jury and executioner."

"And that's the first step to totalitarian rule. I remember my tutoring," Anna finished.

Elsa went to another fallen stand. "Sir, are you alright?" she said to a man buried under piles of cloth.

He poked his head up. "Yes, Your Majesty. I'm just trying to untangle this mess." He saw Elsa was looking at a cut on his shoulder. "Oh, don't worry about that. It's minor."

"Very well." Elsa looked about. She could see a few of the town constables fanning out through the village. She turned to Anna. "We should get back to the castle. Things look under control here, and we need to see if there are any major problems. If someone needs to find us, they'll expect to find us at the castle."

"Wait," Anna said, looking across the square. "Is that Sven?"

Running toward them came Kristoff's reindeer, with Olaf riding on his back.

"Olaf! Over here!" Anna called, waving her hand in the air. Sven galloped to the sisters, baying several times.

"Oh, its terrible! A tragedy beyond imagination!" wailed Olaf. Sven bayed again. "And that." Olaf said, pointing at the reindeer.

"What happened?" Elsa asked.

"It's horrible! My arm! It's gone!" he said, gesturing to his left side. Sure enough, Olaf's left twig arm was missing.

Sven bayed again.

Olaf continued. "First the earth shook. I was terrified! Then, there was this gigantic landslide. I ran away from it, I was so scared. Rocks were falling everywhere. But I tripped and fell, and my arm fell off. Now it's lost! Trapped under the slide!" Sven bayed yet again. "And don't forget that," Olaf finished.

"Don't forget what?" Elsa asked.

"What Sven just said," Olaf replied.

"Olaf, we cannot understand what Sven is saying," Anna said.

"You can't?" Olaf looked at the sisters in surprise. "Oh. Well, he said that Kristoff is trapped under the slide too."

"WHAT?" Anna screamed. "You should have told us that right away!"

"But, but," Olaf protested, pointing at Sven with his one remaining arm.

"We need to get to him right now!" Anna exclaimed, as she went to Sven and took hold of his harness.

"Anna, wait. Let me get my horse," Elsa said.

"Right, get your horse. Or maybe you can save some time and borrow one," Anna said, as she mounted Sven, taking a position behind Olaf. "I'll wait here for…whoa!" she exclaimed, as Sven took off.

"Anna!" Elsa called after her sister. There was nothing she could do but watch as Sven ran to the road leading out of town, and disappeared around a corner.


	16. More Shakes and Slides

"Olaf, where are we going?" Anna asked, as she grimly held onto Sven's harness.

"To save Kristoff!" the little snowman replied. Sven galloped north, along the road out of town.

"No, I mean…where's Kristoff?"

"Under the slide with my arm!"

"Where are they both?"

"Together!"

Anna closed her eyes, and sighed. This wasn't going anywhere. She looked around, trying to figure out where they could be heading. Sven galloped past the monuments to her parents, then onto a short bridge that crossed a small stream. From there, the road climbed into the mountains. Anna looked for a cloud of dust, indicating where there may have been a slide, but the wind had whipped the plumes away.

She thought about where the road led. In a few miles it would pass by Oken's trading post, then several miles farther on, the North Mountain would be well off to their left.

Sven wasn't going to any of those places. He turned off the road, and onto a trail that went to the east, winding its way between the trees, away from the fjord. Soon, he and his two passengers reached the upper end of a small valley, sloping down to the right. To the left, Anna saw a low wood building set against the mountain slope, with Kristoff's sled parked in front of it. Before her was a large pile of rocks, sloping downward left to right.

Sven went to the edge of the slide, lowered his head, and started snuffling at the ground. Anna dismounted, and saw Sven had found Kristoff's hand, protruding from under the debris.

"Olaf, help me move these rocks. We have to get him out of there."

"What about my arm?" Olaf asked.

"Don't worry about your arm," Anna said, as she moved a rock off the pile, letting it roll down the valley. "If we don't find it, Elsa can get you a new one."

"I don't want a new arm, I want my arm!"

"Olaf! Focus. We have to help Kristoff, he could be really badly hurt."

"Oh, right," he said, looking at Kristoff's arm as though this was the first time he had seen it. Olaf tried to pick up a large rock, and failed. He went for a smaller one. With his one arm he could only pick up a rock the size of a child's fist. Still, there were plenty of those, so he started tossing them aside.

The ground gave a small shake. A few rocks tumbled down the slope, clattering about the pair. Anna stared, wide-eyed, up slope, wondering how much lose material was still up there, hidden from view, behind the trees. Grimly, she went back to moving rocks. She tried to move one big rock that appeared to be on top of Kristoff's head, but it was too heavy for her.

"Olaf, do you know where Kristoff keeps his rope?" she asked.

"In the back of his sled," Olaf replied, pointing to here the red vehicle was parked.

"Can you get it for me?"

"Sure!" he said, before running over.

"All right Sven, I need you to move over here," Anna said, leading the reindeer into position. She wanted to pull the rock in a direction where it would fall down the slope, and not back to where she thought Kristoff's head was buried. Soon, Olaf returned with the rope. Anna looped it about the rock in a couple of directions, trying to tie it like the ribbon on a present. Then she connected the other end to Sven's harness.

"Now, nice and slow," Anna said, as she urged Sven forward. The rock came off the pile, rolled to the ground, and fell out of the rope harness before sliding a few feet down slope in the dirt.

"Kristoff!" Anna cried. The ice merchant's head had been uncovered. She saw he was bruised and cut, and still half buried in gravel and small rocks. Hurriedly, she cleared the debris from his face.

"Whu…?' Kristoff groaned. He lifted his head and opened his eyes. "What happened? Anna?"

"You'll be alright, I just have to get you out. Kristoff? Kristoff!" Anna called, but his eyes closed and his head fell back. "Olaf, we have got to get him out!"

The two continued to move rocks, finding that Kristoff was not under all of the debris. Somehow he had managed to get on top of most of it, and only the top layer of rock covered him. A few minutes later, Anna moved a rock that covered his other hand. In it he held a twig.

"There you are!" Olaf exclaimed. He grabbed the twig and stuck it into his side. "Now, I'm perfect!" he said, spreading both arms wide. "Lets dig!" He immediately picked up a surprisingly large rock and moved it away.

Behind her, Anna heard approaching hoof beats. Looking around, she saw Elsa approaching on a tan horse.

"Good, I found you. I almost missed seeing you turn off the road, you got so far ahead of me. Did you find Kristoff?"

"Yes, he's here, and alive. Help me get him out."

Working together, the three got the rest of the rock moved, and dragged Kristoff onto flat ground.

"He's pretty banged up, but I don't think anything is broken," Elsa said.

"We need some water. Olaf, go see if there is any in Kristoff's sled."

"Right!" Olaf replied.

Anna turned back to Kristoff, seeing here sister had made a small amount of snow. Elsa melted the frozen water between her hands, allowing the drops to land on Kristoff's forehead and lips. Seconds later Kristoff woke up.

"Ow, I hurt everywhere," he said, raising one arm to his head.

"Don't worry," Anna replied. We'll get you back to the castle. You'll be fine."

Olaf returned with a water skin. Anna took it, gave Kristoff a drink, and washed his face.

A low rumble sounded from the mountains, then the ground gave a couple of good shakes. A few more rocks fell from the slope, rolling down beside the sisters. Elsa's borrowed horse bolted, and ran back toward the road.

"We have got to get better trained horses," Anna commented. "Elsa, we cannot stay here. That hillside could come down on us."

"I got it," Elsa said. She stood, facing the hill, and raised her hands.

"No, wait," Kristoff said weakly, levering himself up on one arm. "The rocks will just crash through the ice. Instead of a rock slide, we'll have an avalanche."

Elsa looked at Kristoff, and then lowered her hands, deferring to his experience. She remembered that Kristoff had lived and worked in the mountains most of his life.

"Alright," Anna said, "but we are getting you out of here." She looked at the others. "Help me get him onto Sven."

With everyone helping, Kristoff managed to get to his feet and, half stumbling, half being carried, climb onto Sven.

The ground shook again, harder than the last time. From above, they all heard the sounds of another slide beginning to come down the hill. Anna quickly got Olaf onto Sven, ahead of Kristoff.

"You two had better get going, right now!" Anna said.

"Anna! What about us?" Elsa said, looking concerned.

"Don't worry, I have a plan. Sven, go!" She said, slapping the reindeer on the rear. As Sven galloped away, she called after them. "Olaf! Go to the castle! Get help for Kristoff!"

Elsa looked up slope. The slide was getting closer. "Anna! What's your plan?"

"Make a sled," Anna said, desperately.

"What?"

"Out of ice. Make a sled out of ice."

"But, how will we pull it? Sven, and my horse, are gone."

Anna pointed to a spot on the ground. "Make it right there, where the ground is sloped. It will just slide downhill, and get us away much faster than we could run."

Elsa was dubious, but the only other option she could think of was trying to outrun the slide. The sound seemed to be coming from everywhere; she had no idea where, how big, or wide, it was. Even running to the side might put them right into the path of the falling boulders.

With a gesture, Elsa formed an ice sled. Almost immediately, it started sliding downhill. The sisters scrambled to get on before the sled had gathered speed.

"Hold on!" Anna exclaimed. "We're going to go fast!"

The sled bounced over a small mound of dirt, almost knocking Elsa out. She looked behind them. The front of the slide was now in view, and gaining ground. Looking forward, she saw the valley they were following turned to the left, with a rock and tree covered hillside directly in front of them.

"Anna, how do we steer?"

Anna looked at Elsa in confusion. "Steer?"

Elsa stared at Anna in shock. "You don't know how to steer this thing? It was your idea!"

"Why should we have to steer? It's a magic ice sled!"

"I don't make magic ice, I make ice with magic! Its just ice!"

Anna looked at the approaching hillside in horror; suddenly realizing what was about to happen.

Elsa raised her hands. "Maybe I can make something to guide us around the turn."

The sled rammed a fallen log. The runners shattered, while the body of the sled was launched into the air. Anna and Elsa both lost their grip and went flying. As she spun through the air, Elsa saw the rocky slope approaching in one direction, and the slide from the other. She could think of nothing to do but spray show everywhere, and hope for the best. The sisters were enveloped in a cloud of white.

They hit. Elsa landed in soft, new powder, flat on her back, arms spread wide. Snow piled on top of her, pinning her arms and legs in place, forcing its way into mouth and nostrils. She could see dim, blue-white light filtering in from above, and heard the sound of rocks cascading into the snow, packing the flakes ever tighter. As the boulders came to rest above her, the light gradually diminished and went out.


	17. Snow Sisters

Elsa's panic rose, as she found she could not move, or even breathe. She took a few seconds to calm herself as best she could, and then _pushed_ with her Power, clearing a small space around herself. The few inches of room allowed her to spit the snow out of her mouth and catch her breath.

"Anna?" she called out.

All was silent in the frigid darkness.

"Anna!"

"Elsa?" came a faint reply.

"Anna! Are you alright?"

"I think so. But I'm trapped under snow. I cannot move. I can barely breathe."

"Hold on, I'll get you out."

Elsa took a deep breath, held it for a moment, and then let it out slowly. Somewhat calmer, she dispelled some of the snow around her, intending to make a small cave. As she tried to sit up, the snow above her legs crunched down under the weight of the rock piled above.

"Anna, I'm going to have to change all the snow to ice. I think there are rocks piled above us, and the snow isn't strong enough to support them."

"Ice? But I can hardly breathe now!"

Elsa could hear the panic in Anna's voice. "It'll just be for a moment, hold on," she replied as calmly, and reassuringly, as she could manage.

"Alright, just be careful to not freeze _me_."

Elsa paused with her hand raised halfway. A wave of panic washed through her, as she realized the consequences of making a mistake. _Just the snow_ she thought, and then slapped her hand down. A white wave of Power flowed through the snow, turning packed flakes into multifaceted, crystalline ice. With another burst of Power, Elsa cleared the area around herself, creating a small void, allowing her to stand.

Everywhere Elsa looked, it was dark. She gathered some Power in one hand, and used it's light to peer into the ice. After a moment of searching, she found Anna, lying on her side, entombed a few feet away. With a gesture, she dispelled the ice around her sister.

Anna collapsed on the floor, gasping and shivering. Elsa went to her side and knelt down.

"Anna, are you alright?"

Anna nodded weakly. She looked at her sister, and then threw her arms around Elsa's shoulders. "Oh, Elsa! That was terrible! I couldn't move, I couldn't see, it was awful!" She looked around. "There's no way out? What are we going to do?"

"I don't know. At least we have a little time to figure it out. By now the Royal Guard should be where we found Kristoff, but they have no idea where we are." Elsa stood and looked around. "Now all I have to do is figure out how to save us from another wonderful Anna plan."

"Excuse me? What's that supposed to mean?" Anna said with an edge in her voice.

Elsa tuned to Anna and spread her arms. "Try and outrun a landslide with a sled that cannot be steered? Did you even think about what might happen?"

"It worked, didn't it? We're alive."

Elsa went back to trying to see through the ice. "Sure, about as well as 'destroy the rock outcropping, I know you can do it'. You always assume that if we just try, everything will work out perfectly. You never think things through. We shouldn't even be up here like this."

Anna stood, anger in her face. "What? You think we should have let Kristoff die under that slide?"

"No, that's not what I meant. I mean we should have waited until both we, and the guards, had our horses. We should have all come up here together."

"And all gotten caught in the second slide!"

Elsa confronted her sister. "Or, with everyone helping, rescued Kristoff and gotten out before the second slide even happened. Anna, you need to think things through! You should not have come up here alone!"

"I couldn't just stand there. Besides, Sven wouldn't wait. And you came here alone."

Elsa pointed her finder at Anna. "You could have not gotten on Sven in the first place. Lars assigned us two guardsmen, you could have let one of them go. The only reason I came alone is so you wouldn't be alone. You still don't get it. You still are not thinking about how big the consequences of this could be."

"What, being trapped under a landslide isn't big enough?"

"Have you forgotten who we are? The entire Royal family of Arendelle is right here, buried alive under who knows how much rock! What if we don't make it out? What if another earthquake hit right now, and collapsed this cave on top of us? They might never even find our bodies. What about our subjects, or the Kingdom? Who do you want to be the new ruler? Prince Hans?"

Anna stood still, stunned. A tear began to roll down her face. "Elsa, how could you say such a thing?" She turned away. "How could you even think such a thing?"

"Anna, I didn't mean…"

"Yes, you did. You meant all of it." Anna turned back to Elsa, tears streaming down her face. "I try to help. I try! And it keeps going wrong! Do you think I wanted this to happen?" She paused, lowering her head. "I try to find love. I get Prince Hans. I try and save the Kingdom from your accidental winter, I get my heart frozen. I try and save Kristoff, I get us buried under a landslide. Maybe I should just stop. Stop trying, stop talking, just stop. Everything I do is wrong."

Elsa came to Anna's side, and placed a hand on her shoulder. Anna flinched at the touch. "Not everything. You saved my life, when you stopped Prince Hans from killing me."

"Fine. I did one thing right."

"And the sled idea may not have worked out as best it could…"

Anna gave one shuddering laugh.

"But I had no better idea. And we _are_ still alive."

"Not for long. I'm going to freeze to death. And we'll run put of air."

"Then help me find a way out."

Anna looked at Elsa and nodded. "Alright. What can we do? You cannot just dispel the ice, all those boulders will fall on us," Anna said, pointing at the ceiling.

"I know," Elsa replied, holding her hand up, allowing the light from her Power to shine through the ice, looking the rocks several feet above.

"Could you grow the ice upward? Push the rocks out of the way?"

Elsa frowned. "Maybe. I'm not sure what would happen. The entire thing could collapse down on us from the extra weight."

Anna started shivering more violently.

"Anna, you are freezing! Here, let me warm you up." Elsa embraced her sister.

"At least one of Johan's ideas was good," Anna said.

"Hmm?"

"You're dresses as a proper member of the Royalty, rather than wearing your ice gown. If you were, I'd just be freezing faster right now."

"Johan will just have to get use to my gowns," Elsa said, as she laid her head on Anna's. "If we could only see through the ice better."

"Wait, I have an idea," Anna said excitedly.

Elsa looked at her dubiously.

"Please don't start again?" Anna said, her voice almost cracking.

Elsa relaxed. "Just tell me."

"Stop using your Power."

"What? We're going to need it to get out."

"No, not forever, just right now. Stop making light, let our eyes get use to the dark."

Elsa closed her hand, dowsing the light. The two stood, in the cold, in the dark, and waited. After a few minutes, Anna saw a faint blue glow off to the side.

"There! We need to go that way."

Elsa raised her hands, and then paused.

"What are you waiting for?" Anna asked.

"Anna, what happens when I use my Power?"

"You'll make the ice goes away. Well, at least just enough to make a tunnel."

"And?"

Anna put her fists on her hips. "Is this some sort of test?" she said angrily.

"I'm just trying to get you to think things through."

"You already made your point! You don't have to keep digging into me!"

Elsa lowered her hands and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, that was insensitive of me."

Anna tuned away from Elsa, folded her arms, and stood quietly for a moment. "Light. Your Power makes light, and with our eyes use to the dark, it will be blinding," she grumbled.

"When I dispel the ice, you'll have to cover your eyes. I'll go a few feet at a time. You'll have to guide me," Elsa said. "Then, I'll need to fill in the tunnel behind us, to reduce the chance of a cave-in."

"Right. I'm covering my eyes. Go for it."

Working together, bit by bit, the two sisters tunneled their way toward the light. Soon, Elsa could follow the glow without Anna's guidance. Finally, they reached a spot where the ice was not covered by any rock, and Elsa angled the tunnel up and out.

The Queen and Princess emerged into the late morning sun, blinking at the brightness of the day. Debris from the slide littered the landscape around them.

"We need to get back and make sure Kristoff is all right," Anna said. "So, where now?"

"We could climb back to the trail we used to get here, or try and cut across to the road directly. But we don't know if this slide, or any other, has cut us off. I think we should get help first."

"Help? Here?"

Elsa started forming a snowball between her hands. "The Royal guard should have been right behind me. I'm a little surprised they didn't get to us before we dug out Kristoff." Elsa launched the snowball high into the air, letting it explode across the sky.

"Maybe they missed the turnoff to that trail," Anna suggested.

"Maybe," Elsa said, as she made another snowball, again shooting it upward. After the third signal, there was a call from up slope.

"Queen Elsa! Are you well?"

Elsa saw a guardsman working his way downward, just to the left side of the slide. "We're fine. We need to get back to the castle. Do you know the best way?"

Anna started picking her way though the rocks.

"Anna, wait a moment," Elsa said, as she came up beside her sister. With a gesture, Elsa made an ice stairway across the boulders.

"There's a trail just uphill that leads to some ice merchant's icehouse," the guardsman called back. "That trail is clear."

"So, that's what that building was, Kristoff's icehouse," Anna commented, as they walked along the stairway. "He'll be happy to hear it didn't get caught in the second slide."

"Very well," Elsa said to the guardsman. "Lead the way."

Elsa was sitting back on a sofa, eyes closed, exhausted from the day's events, when she heard someone enter the room. She cracked her eyes open just enough to see Anna sitting down beside her.

"Kristoff is still doing well?" Elsa asked.

"He's asleep." Anna replied. "The doctor says he needs to stay in bed for a week, and it will be another before he can get back to work. How's the rest of the Kingdom?"

"We came though in good shape. The earthquake actually did very little damage. That was a good idea you had, to split up the work. You handled the injured..."

"While you saw to everything else. It made sense. I was so concerned that Kristoff had proper care, I thought that I might as well see that everyone else did too," Anna said, leaning her head onto Elsa's shoulder. "I am _so_ sleepy!"

Elsa took Anna's right hand in her left. "Are we good?"

"Of course we're good. We're _sisters_," Anna replied quietly, already half asleep.

"You keep coming up with ideas…" Elsa began.

"And you keep fixing things with your Power," Anna finished. She raised her left hand and turned it palm up, spreading her fingers as she had seen Elsa do dozens of times.

Snowflakes appeared above Anna's hand, momentarily floating in the air before disappearing.

Anna sat up, coming fully awake. "Did you see that?"

"See what?"

Anna looked at her hands, and then repeated Elsa's snow making gesture with one, then the other.

Nothing happened.

"I made snow! I did the same thing you do, and snow appeared above my palm!" Anna stood, repeating the gesture over and over.

"Anna, are you sure? Maybe you fell asleep for just a moment and dreamed it?"

"I know what I saw! Well, I think I know," Anna said, as she realized she was quite sleepy. "Did you really see nothing?"

"No. My eyes were closed."

Anna turned her hand palm up yet again, to no avail, and then started at Elsa, exasperated.

"Its alright," Elsa said, as she stood and wrapped an arm around Anna, giving her a hug. "There's no requirement to be magical in this family."

"I know, I know. It's just that you're the Queen, and you have the Power. What am I? The powerless Princess who messes everything up." Anna lamented.

"You already said what you are. You're my sister."

Anna smiled, wrapping an arm around Elsa, hugging her in return. "I know. But for one moment I thought I had Power of my own. Now, I don't." One last time she raised her hand, turning it palm up.

Snowflakes appeared above Anna's hand.

"It happened again!" Anna yelled. She pulled away from Elsa, looking at her hands. Again she tried the palm-up gesture, without results.

"Anna…" Elsa began.

"Did you see it? I know I didn't imagine it that time! What's going on?"

"Anna, I saw it."

"You did? So it's real? I can make snow?" Anna tried again, with no results. "But why can't I do it _now_?"

"I think I know what's happening. Not only did I see it, and I felt it. Here, give me your hand."

Doubt showed in Anna's eyes.

"Your hand," Elsa repeated.

Gingerly, Anna gave Elsa her right hand.

"Now try it," Elsa said.

Anna raised her left hand, making Elsa's gesture. Snow appeared above her palm. She looked at Elsa in confusion.

"You're not using any Power of your own. You're using my Power. I can feel it."

"This is your Power? You feel it? I didn't feel anything. What's it feel like?"

"Its hard to describe. I experience a sort of _flow_ that starts at my heart and extends to my hands or feet. When I use my Power on a grand scale, I feel that flow extending beyond myself, into the air and through the ice."

Anna made some more snow, and then shook her head. "Nothing. I think of snow and it just seems to happen. Oh, wait! I'm not stealing away your Power, am I? Do you still have your Power?"

Elsa used her free hand to throw some snow in the air. "No, I still have mine. It would seem that whenever we touch each other, we get to share."

"I wonder if you can share your Power with anyone else."

Elsa released Anna's hand. "I have no idea. I didn't know I could share it with you. I'll have to try with others and see. Just not tonight."

Anna dropped her head a bit. "But I still don't have any actual magic Power."

Elsa considered. "I'll make you a deal. Whenever you want to borrow mine, just take my hand. It's yours whenever you wish."

"Anytime?"

"Anytime. Well, maybe not _anytime_ anytime. Try and show a little discretion. That will be your part of the deal. And, of course, there's no reason to keep this little trick a secret."

"Great!" Anna immediately grabbed Elsa's hand, and then swept her own in a broad gesture. Snow sprayed everywhere about the sitting room.

"Oops," Anna said, as the flakes slowly drifted to the floor.

"You may need to work on your control," Elsa said.


	18. Against the Cold

"Where do you think you're going, mister?" Anna asked, sternly, as she came through the doorway of the guest room.

"I'm tired of lying in bed," answered Kristoff. "I'm fine. I'll just get dressed, get Sven, and get on my way."

"Oh, no you're not. The doctor said a week, and it's only been three days." Anna moved her right foot back, raised her right hand to shoulder height, her left over her head, adopting a stance as though she was about to use magic on Kristoff. "Back to bed, don't make me force you."

Kristoff smiled. "You already told me about your abilities, remember? You cannot do anything unless the Queen is touching you." Kristoff swept an arm from left to right. "Right now, you're powerless! Ow!" Kristoff winced in pain, leaning to the right.

"Sure you're fine. Come on, lay down" Kristoff, with Anna's help, stumbled back to his bed.

"Now, could you try and stay here for at least another couple of days?" Anna said, as she pulled the covers over Kristoff. "Please? For me? After all, how many times in your life have you gotten to sleep in a comfy bed in a castle?"

"Alright," Kristoff grumbled. "Two more days."

"After living in the mountains for so long, I would think you'd enjoy this."

"It is nice. So, just how does this Power stealing thing work?"

"Oh, I don't steal anything. Elsa and I share the Power whenever we touch. It's like her Power flows through me, and I can control it, although I cannot feel it like she can."

Kristoff knitted his brow, as he thought about something. "Your ability to use Her Majesty's Power…"

"You can call her Elsa."

"…Elsa's Power, I think I saw something like that before."

"What? I've never done it before," Anna said, looking confused.

"Not with you, with a horse."

"Now I really don't know what you're talking about. Are you sure you're feeling alright?"

"It was years ago, on the night I saw you, Elsa, and your parents going to see the trolls. The horse carrying Elsa had a trail of snow behind it." Kristoff closed his eyes.

Anna thought for a moment. "Elsa's Power flowed though the horse? That's odd. So far, I'm the only one this trick has worked with. We've tried with several of our servants, Chancellor Johan, and some people in the village. So far, nothing has happened. It'd be strange if it only worked on myself and a horse."

Kristoff began to snore softly.

Anna sighed, and then studied his face for a long moment. "Sleep, get better," she said softly, then patted his arm and quietly left the room.

Elsa was standing at the conference table when the Royal Tailor entered.

"Your Majesty, you wished to see me?" he said, bowing to Elsa.

"Yes, thank you for coming. I have a request. It concerns this," Elsa indicated a large sheet of paper spread across the table.

The tailor moved closer for a look. "It would appear to be drawing of a large snowflake. What is it?"

"These are the plans for the new ice palace, the one I intend to build for the Michaelmas Royal Ball. These are not final, I am not entirely pleased with them."

"Oh?"

"The structure is rather low and blocky. I'm not sure what the architect is intending."

"I was not aware you needed plans to make one of your… creations."

"I don't, as long as I don't care exactly what it ends up looking like. When I made my first palace, all I was thinking is that I wanted a fantastic fairytale palace that I could live in. I didn't individually place every wall and column in specific locations. After I made the structure, I had to explore it just to find my way around."

"I have seen you make some quite realistic and beautiful ice sculptures."

"Yes, if I can hold an image of what I want in my mind, I can make it with some accuracy. With my first palace, I didn't have such an image. In fact, I have a hard time visualizing an entire building, without some sort of reference. Hence the need for plans.

"This new structure has to perform specific functions." Elsa indicated the large hexagonal area in the center. "There has to be a open area for the guests to talk and dance. Over here, there will be a place for the musicians, and then here, an area for refreshments. Back rooms will be used for perpetrations and storage."

"I see," said the Tailor. "What does all this have to do with me?"

"Along this wall, opposite the main entrance, I will make two thrones."

"Two?"

"Yes, one for myself, and one for Anna."

"Is that proper?"

"Anna has been taking quite a bit of responsibility of late. I feel she has earned recognition."

"As you wish,"

"I'll be making the thrones out of ice." Elsa paused, considering an idea. "I wonder if Anna could make them. She might enjoy helping."

The tailor knitted his brow, looking concerned.

"I assume you have been informed of the news?"

"That Princess Anna can use your Power? Yes, I have. I also understand her control is, shall we say, erratic."

Elsa smiled. "You must have heard about the events in the courtyard this morning."

"I heard about them, and saw the window of my room become covered with snow and ice."

Elsa suppressed a laugh. "We had our first practice session this morning in the courtyard. Recent events have prevented us form having one sooner. Anna cannot feel the Power as I do. I'm not sure if that will develop with time, or if she will have to learn control in her own way. In any event, with practice, Anna may be able to make the thrones. She was improving by the end of the session."

"I still do not understand your need for my services."

"For myself, the cold of the ice is not an issue. Anna may be uncomfortable with sitting on ice for any period of time."

"This will be a problem for the guests as well," the tailor observed.

"We will bring up normal chairs for the guests. In addition, we have spread the word that everyone should dress for the cold, even at the expense of a purely formal look."

"And Anna's ice throne?"

"I would like you to prepare some sort of cover for it. Something that will protect Anna from the cold."

The tailor thought for a moment. "I believe I have some white fur hides. I can sew them together to make an adequate cover. It should be warm enough for Her Highness's comfort. May I ask, how large will these thrones be?"

"Use the throne in the Throne Room as a model. Do you think you can get the cover done in time?"

"I see no issue."

"Excellent. One final thing," Elsa cocked her head to the side, smiling coyly. "This second throne is a bit of surprise. So, don't tell Anna."


	19. The Monster

"Then we climbed up, onto the slide, and I signaled for the Royal Guard," Elsa concluded.

"A fascinating story." Captain Lars said. "I'm pleased you made it back safely. I was quite distressed when I heard both you, and the Princess, had abandoned the two guardsmen I assigned to you, and gone into the mountains on your own."

"Anna never should have mounted Sven. As soon as she did, the entire sequence of events was set in motion. She should have let a guardsman go first."

"A mistake you repeated," observed Lars.

"I beg your pardon?"

"You should have let a guardsman chase after the Princess, rather than going yourself, alone."

"I couldn't just stand there while Anna was riding into danger!" Elsa said, defensively. "I had to make sure she would be alright."

"Just as she had to make sure Kristoff would be alright."

"Well, yes, but a guardsman would have been able to see to Kristoff's needs far better than…" Elsa trailed off, comparing the two situations in her mind, realizing that any argument she had for going after Anna, would also apply to Anna going after Kristoff. They really had both made the same mistake.

"I think I'll be apologizing to Anna, again. I was a little hard on her right after we got trapped. Now, I see that I was criticizing her for making the same error I made. I wonder what I should do, I already got her the best chocolate cake Mrs. Halvar's Pastry Shop has to offer."

"Yes. At least you had your Power to help. Speaking of which, throughout this entire event, did you ever feel as though you were losing control?"

Elsa thought for a moment. "No, I don't remember anything like that." She looked at her hands. "Does that mean I've done it? I no longer have to worry about fear?"

"I advise you to not get overconfident. Most likely you will be fighting this battle your entire life. It is, however, quite encouraging. Shall we see what happens with today's training session?"

Looking across the field, Elsa saw several wood frames covered with tarpaulins. The result looked like a crude marketplace, with several stalls, each having three walls and an open front. Two lines of these stalls had been placed on the field, facing each other, spaced some twenty yards apart. Guardsmen ran back and forth, zigzagging from one to the next, striking at something inside each with a sword, before proceeding. Given her point of view, Elsa could not see what was inside each stall.

"What is this?" she asked of Lars.

"A battle usually involves quite a bit of running. You can easily find yourself fighting while tired. This training course gives the men a chance to improve their proficiency while exhausted, as well as helping to build stamina."

Some of the guardsmen did look quite exhausted. As Elsa watched, one actually dropped his sword.

"What's in those stalls?"

"This," Lars replied, indicating an item set to the side, just a few feet away. Elsa saw a mannequin, made from straw, bound with twine, mounted to a pole. The pole was set into the ground, and a barrel had been placed in front of it. The head of the mannequin was painted with a crude, ugly face.

"You expressed concern that using you Power in a deadly manner will make you appear a monster. I have modified the exercise to see if we can find a way for you to defend yourself without undue harm to others. Normally, during this exercise, the water barrel is not present. What I wish for you to try is to trap the barrel, and the enemy, in ice, without freezing the water in the barrel."

"Do you think that is possible?"

"I think it's worth a try. I know you can make quite complex structures. If you can do this task, you will be able to immobilize an adversary without harming them. A mound of ice two or three feet high should suffice."

Elsa turned to the barrel, then waited while one guardsman, waiting his turn on the course, moved out of range. Once clear, she gestured at the barrel. Ice covered both it and the mannequin. A moment later, the barrel's top popped off, as the water inside expanded while freezing, forming a lumpy, frozen mound.

"I failed," Elsa said.

"Well, he's dead," Lars said, laughing. "Fortunately, we have more barrels." He motioned to some men to bring over another.

Elsa turned to Lars, frowning. "You think this is funny? If this had been an _actual_ attacker, I would have killed him!"

Lars straightened. "You Majesty, no disrespect is intended. Training is difficult, challenging, and exhausting. A little levity can help sustain one through the experience. Also, the only real failure here would be if you fail to learn from this experience. The training field is where we can make mistakes, without disastrous consequences. The best course of action is to have a laugh, examine what went wrong, and try again."

Elsa regarded at the mannequin, half encased in ice, looking back at her with it's silly, painted face. "It is sort of funny," she said, half laughing, before dispelling the ice with a wave. The barrel, free of the ice, collapsed into a pile of staves and metal rings. The guardsmen kicked the remains aside as they dragged a new barrel in place.

"Visualize where you want the ice to be, and where you do not want it to be," Lars coached.

Elsa focused on her target, and gestured with the fingers of her right hand. Power flowed, and ice formed about the barrel and the mannequin. This time the barrel remained intact.

"Lets see what happened," said Lars, as he walked over to the barrel. The top was free of ice, allowing him to pry off the lid. Looking within, they both saw the water was unfrozen.

"Excellent. Would you care to try the full course?"

Elsa looked at the men running back and forth from stall to stall. "Exactly what do I do?"

"Run to the first station in the row on the right, then the first to the left, then the second to the right, and so on down the line. Go as fast as you can, while still trapping each enemy in ice, and without freezing the water in the barrel. Once you get to the end, circle back here, to the starting line. When it's your turn, go through again."

Lars paused for a moment. "I guess the second time through you will have to dispel the ice. Then on the third, you can try your attack again."

"You expect me to _run_ through this, over and over?"

"You had no qualms about running during the Royal Snowball Fight."

Elsa thought for a moment. "Very well." She pointed a finger at Lars. "But don't expect me to run laps."

A look of disappointment flashed across Lars' face for a moment. Elsa could see he _had_ been expecting just that.

"Training for stamina is important. Perhaps you will consider hiking in the mountains? Or maybe swimming in the harbor would be preferable, at least in the summer when the water is not too cold."

"The cold has never bothered me. However, I have never learned how to swim."

Lars drew his head back an inch. "You live in a castle surrounded by water, and don't know how to swim?"

"I spent most of my life trying to conceal my Power. There was never an opportunity to take lessons."

Lars thought for a moment. "I believe I know someone who can tutor you."

"That would be acceptable. Arrange an interview. It may well be refreshing to take a dip in the water this coming winter. The castle is always so stuffy."

"Excellent." Lars led The Queen over to the starting area. "Now, before you start, I want to remind you of one more thing."

"Oh?"

"You may remember I said that, when members of the Royal family are in training, it is best if they are treated as any other member of the guard would be treated, without any special consideration? This is best for morale."

"I remember."

"Good. Consider yourself a new recruit."

Elsa did her best to come to attention.

"Wait here until the man in front of you has reached the second stall, then begin."

Elsa did as instructed, waiting for the guardsman in front of her to get well into the course, and then ran to the first stall. Surrounded on three sides by the tarpaulin walls, she saw the same setup as Lars had shown her before; a mannequin mounted on a pole, and a water barrel set in front. The mannequin looked rather damaged from sword blows. She covered both with ice, turned and ran to the next stall. There she saw the same setup.

When Elsa got to the fifth stall, she realized she might have taken Captain Lars' instructions, to go as fast a possible, a little too literally. She was already out of breath, just barely half way through the course. Upon reaching the fifth stall, she covered everything with ice, and saw the barrel crack. She had frozen the water within.

_I'm get tired and sloppy_, she thought, slowing her pace and trying to focus on the sixth target.

Upon approaching the next stall, something came flying over the wall, landing right in front of Elsa. Wide eyed, she came to a stop. Before her was a huge red monster, with claws, teeth, and gigantic eyes that bored right into her. The creature screamed, a sound that seemed to come from all directions at once. Turning her head aside, Elsa closed her eyes, raised both hands and let Power fly.

Elsa held the pose for a second, and then looked at what she had done. Ice filled the stall, covering everything. From around her, the guardsmen began laughing. Looking through the ice, she could see that the "monster" appeared to be another mannequin, one that hung from a rope leading up to a pole. A guardsman, holding the other end of the pole, came around from behind the stall to see what happened. Elsa realized the monster's scream had come from the same directions as all the laughing guardsmen.

Elsa turned in anger. As she did, Lars came to her side.

"What was that?" she demanded.

Lars smiled. "Just a little joke we like to play on new recruits. Also, the monster does help emphasize the unpredictability of battle. Let's see how you did here."

Lars examined stall. "Looks like a clean sweep. You got the enemy, the barrel, the monster, and Sally."

"Sally?"

Lars indicated an object at the back of the stall. With a wave, Elsa dispelled the ice, giving her a better view. Leaning against the back wall was yet a third mannequin, one that looked like a small child.

Elsa looked at Lars disapprovingly. "That borders on the tasteless."

"I can see your point. But Sally is an important part of the training exercise. We are here to protect the innocent from the enemy. Next time you see Sally, try and miss her."

Frowning, Elsa stood silently for a moment, considering.

"Remember," Lars said, indicating the crudely painted figures, "It's just training, and you can laugh at the absurdity."

Elsa shook her head, smiling. "I never imagined military training to be like this."

"We get quite serious and intense too. You need to be ready for that. For now, shall we return to the beginning for another try?"

As Elsa and Lars walked back to the start of the course, they saw a guardsman ride to the training field.

"Queen Elsa! Captain Lars!" he called out. "Captain Eric has returned from his costal patrol. He reports that three warships, flying the flag of a known mercenary, are approaching the fjord. Arendelle is under attack!"


	20. Invasion

Anna ran onto the dock, seeing Elsa conversing with three others, Captain Lars, Chancellor Johan, and Captain Eric. Behind them, guardsmen and seamen loaded weapons and supplies onto a ship, the _Crocus_.

"Elsa! I just heard. Who's attacking us? What are we going to do?"

Elsa tuned to her sister. "There you are. I was worried. Where were you?"

"In the stables, helping Kristoff get ready to leave. He says his sentence is up. Somehow, I never thought of living in a castle as a prison sentence."

Looking beyond Anna, Elsa saw Kristoff, and his constant companion, Sven, standing at the entrance to the dock.

"A fleet of ships, led by a known mercenary commander, is entering fjord," Elsa began. "We need to talk about what you are going to do while I'm gone."

"I'm going with you." Anna replied, pointing at the ship.

"No, you cannot."

"Of course I can! Look, I can help." Anna took Elsa's left hand in her right, and then sprayed some snow into the harbor.

"Anna, someone has to stay here. Most of my senior staff is going, and someone has to be in command, here."

"Let Johan stay. I'm sure he can run things for an hour. How much trouble can a bunch of soldiers be for us?"

"Princess Anna," Lars interjected, "do not underestimate our adversary. I know this particular mercenary. Commander Thurmond is very capable. However, I believe we can resolve this situation without any fighting whatsoever. The plan does require myself, the Queen, and the Chancellor."

"But not me," Anna said, dropping her head.

"I need you to stay here, especially if things go wrong," Elsa said.

"Something can go wrong? I thought you had a plan."

"We do," answered Lars. "There is an old saying among military leaders; no plan of battle survives contact with the enemy. We will have to adapt as needed, and, if it fails totally, we may have to fight."

"Anna, I need you to get to the castle. I suspect they are after me, not Arendelle."

"Then just leave," Anna suggested. "I'll say you wanted some alone time and went on a long ocean voyage."

"Then they may try and take Arendelle and hold it hostage, to get to me. I will not use our subjects as a shield. Now, in case I don't make it back. I need you…"

"Elsa! Don't say things like that! Of course you'll come back. There is no need for…"

Elsa raised her hand to interrupt Anna. "This is dangerous. I could be hurt, or I could be killed. If I don't make it back, you will be Queen. You need to think about continuing the Royal line." Anna shook her head, a tear rolling down her cheek. "Having only two members of the Royal family is bad enough. Marry. Have children. Keep the Kingdom safe."

"I cannot believe you are saying this, I just…" Anna stepped forward and hugged Elsa, crying on her shoulder. "We just got back together. This can't be happening!"

Elsa returned Anna's hug, holding her for a long moment. Eventually, Anna took a step back, continuing to hold Elsa at arms length.

"You can be sure that, no matter what transpires, we will make every effort to preserve the Queen's life," Lars said, as calmly as possible. "I judge the chances of total disaster to be very small."

Anna blanched at the mention of "total disaster".

"Anna, it's a good plan, and we have a good staff. I really feel this will work. You should be able to see everything from the castle." Unexpectedly, her lips formed a sly little smile. "Expect a chill in the air."

Anna nodded grimly, releasing Elsa and backing off a step. "I love you. Try and be safe."

"Love you," Elsa replied.

Anna watched as everyone filed up the gangplank. Sailors cast off the mooring lines, and the ship was backed away from the dock. Anna continued to watch for several minutes as the ship made its way toward the seawall.

Captain Eric guided the _Crocus_ through the harbor, tacking against the southerly wind, and into the fjord. Once clear of the harbor's seawall, they could see three ships, less than a mile away. With the wind behind them, the invaders were closing quickly. Captain Eric ordered the _Crocus_ turned toward the enemy, directly into the wind, and the sails dropped.

Elsa had been keeping amidships, staying low. Lars came to her side.

"I'm fairly sure they haven't seen you. They don't know if you are on the ship, in the castle, or someplace else. Are you ready?" he said.

"I think so. I've never done this with my Power, at least not on purpose. It's going to be…painful, emotionally painful," Elsa replied.

"Do it soon," Captain Eric called from the bridge. "We will lose headway and be in irons momentarily."

"How did you do it before?" asked Lars.

"It's only happened twice. The first time was right after I heard my parents were lost at sea. The second time, when Prince Hans told me I had killed Anna." Elsa looked at Lars with haunted eyes. "Both times I was filled with feelings grief and hopelessness. That's what I need to feel now, if this is to work."

Lars looked at Elsa, feeling her pain. He had not realized exactly what he had asked of the Queen when he seized upon her comment about being able to becalm the attacking ships. "Think about when you lost your parents. Do the best you can."

Elsa nodded, dropping her head. She remembered that fateful day, just over three years ago, when she had learned that her only anchor to controlling her Power had been ripped away. Slowly, she raised her hands to her sides.

The wind died. The air grew still and cold. Moisture condensed into snowflakes, hanging weightless in the air. The waves in the fjord calmed, leaving the surface still and mirror smooth, reflecting land and sky. No noise came from the rigging, the hull ceased creaking, and even the gentle sound of waves lapping on the sides vanished. An eerie silence fell across them all.

Elsa looked around, seeing what she had done.

"Are you alright?" Lars asked. "Can you keep their ships becalmed?"

Elsa nodded weakly. "I think so. Now that I know how it feels to express my Power in this manner, I should be able to continue doing so without much discomfort."

Lars took out a spyglass. "Then let me see just what Commander Thurmond and his men are doing." He cast a glance at Chancellor Johan. "Meanwhile, you have a boat to catch." Near the starboard railing, some seamen readied a small rowboat to be put over the side.

"Sir!" came a call from the crow's-nest. "They're launching longboats!"

Lars ran to the bow, and raised the spyglass to his eye. "Blast! They'll be able to get troops ashore. I had hoped they would not bring those boats, they use up most of the deck space." He turned to Elsa. "You'll have to freeze them in."

"You want me to freeze the fjord? Then they can just walk to shore," Elsa protested.

"Not the entire fjord," Lars held his hands a few feet apart. "Just a strip of ice from us to them, locking all ships in place."

"I will need to see what I'm doing, to aim. Between that, and the flow of Power, they'll know I'm here, on this ship."

Lars looked like he had tasted something bitter. "No battle plan survives contact with the enemy," he said quietly. Then to Elsa, "there's no helping it. We'll just have to make do. Their troops are well out of archery range, so you should be safe. Don't try for concealment, just go as fast as you can."

"I'll be able to do it faster if I can touch the water." Elsa said. At the port side of the ship, she made a snowy stairway leading down to the sea. Touching the snow with her right foot, the tread transformed to ice, allowing her to walk down to the placid surface. She froze a small area of the water, and then walked away from the ship, far enough to see the enemy. Elsa raised her right leg, and then brought her foot down sharply. With a sweep of her hands, a fifty foot wide strip of milky-white ice formed, extending to the three invading ships, as well as surrounding her own.

"Did I get them all?" Elsa called up to the sailor in the crows-nest.

"Not quite. The last ship is still ice-free," he called back down. Elsa gestured at the ice. "That did it, their ships are all trapped. Wait…" The sailor studied the enemy with his own spyglass. "They are trying to pry their longboats out of the ice."

"Oh, no you don't," Elsa declared. She gathered some power in her hands and projected it into the ice. A wave of white light swept out and away. The ice became bitterly cold, hard, and crystal clear.

"Your Majesty, it would be best if you returned to the ship," Lars called down. "Their troops are deploying to the ice."

"Very well," Elsa replied. Back aboard, she saw Johan was about ready to leave. He held a pole, upon which was affixed a white flag.

"You're sure Commander Thurmond will respect a truce?" Johan asked.

"I know him well. He is an honorable man," Lars responded. "Thurmond did not become mercenary for the fighting, or the blood, but for the money. If he has an opportunity to achieve the goals of his employer without fighting, he will. Its just good business." The commander gave the Chancellor a slap on the back. "You're a family man, Johan. I wouldn't ask you to do this unless I had every confidence in your safe return."

Johan frowned, before walking to the stairs. He waved his flag in the air a few times, walked down to the frozen sea and in front of the _Crocus_, then waved it some more.

"They've seen you," Lars called out, as he looked through his spyglass. "They've stopped their deployment. I would estimate half the troops are on the ice, the rest still aboard the ships. You'd better get going."

Lars and Elsa watched as Johan made his way across the frozen sea. Soon, four members of the enemy troops came forward to meet him.

"How did you come to know so much about Commander Thurmond?" Elsa asked of Lars.

The Captain looked uncomfortable, pausing for several seconds before replying. "I served in his command for three years."

"What? That wasn't on your job application!"

Lars sighed. "Your application asked only about my last job, and why I left. I have actually had three major jobs, and several minor ones. First, I was a new recruit in a Royal Army. At the completion of my term of service, I sought employment elsewhere, and found Commander Thurmond. My third job is the one you already know about."

Across the ice, the four enemy soldiers grew closer to Johan.

"Eventually I became weary of the constant travel, the shipboard life, and never having a home. I left the Commander's service amicably, and looked for employment someplace where I could settle down."

"I did not expect this from you. I'm disappointed."

"There was no intent to deceive, although I was somewhat concerned about how you would view mercenaries. Some see them as nothing more than pirates-for–pay. If you had asked about my employment history, I would have held nothing back." Lars came to attention. "If you wish to discharge me, I will understand. I only ask that you wait until the current situation is resolved."

"We'll talk, later," said Elsa. "For now, it looks like Chancellor Johan has met his escort."

Johan continued walking as the four approaching men surrounded him. Silently, two fell in behind the Chancellor, as the other two turned about face, to lead him back to their ship. Johan noted the soldiers wore light leather armor, well oiled. A canvas vest was worn over the armor, into which several pockets had been sewn. Each pocket was filled with cork. They all carried lightweight swords and an ice axe.

As he approached the ship, Johan saw that several ladders had been lowered over the side. He was led to the nearest. After passing up his pole, Johan climbed onto the deck. As he took back his pole, the chancellor noticed several timbers spanning the deck, from the port rail to the starboard, reinforcing the ship.

A heavy-set man with black, curly hair and beard approached Johan. "Who might you be?" he asked.

"Chancellor Johan, at your service," he replied, bowing. Upon rising, Johan casually set his pole on his shoulder, while keeping the flag well in view.

"Commander Thurmond."

Neither man offered to shake hands.

"I assume you are here to discuss terms of surrender?" Thurmond asked.

"I am here to discuss, with your employer, how the present situation can be resolved without bloodshed," Johan offered.

Thurmond's eyes briefly flicked toward the stairway leading below. "The identity of my employer is confidential. You will deal with me."

Johan paused for a moment, and then bowed his head.

"Here are our terms," Thurmond began. "A contingent of my men will go to your ship. There, Queen Elsa will surrender herself to us. The men will place her in manacles, and bring her to my ship. We will take her to a mountain in a remote location. There, she will be imprisoned, away from everyone, for the rest of her life. As long as the Queen makes no attempts to use her Power during this process, no hostile action will be taken against Arendelle, its soldiers, or its citizens."

"Away from everyone? May I ask what she is to eat?"

"Once imprisoned, she can use her Power to make whatever food she wishes from snow and ice."

Johan shook his head. "The snow Her Majesty creates is just snow. The ice is just ice. Neither is a substitute for food. The Queen has the same requirements for subsistence as you or I. What you propose is she submit herself to execution by starvation."

Thurmond frowned, his shoulders dropping a fraction of an inch. "But when she was living in her ice palace…"

"Upon returning, the Queen was famished."

"Fine. Arrangements will be made to deliver her food. When can we expect her to agree to these terms?"

Johan locked eyes with Thurmond. "Her majesty will not be surrendering."

"What? Why ask about food?"

_To put you off balance, just a little_, Johan thought. "Idle curiosity as to your plans. Her Majesty will be remaining on the _Crocus_, and any approaching troops are subject to attack. She invites you, and your employer, to meet with her to peacefully resolve this situation."

Thurmond laughed. "Why should I do that? I can easily take your little ship, and your Queen."

"You may find it somewhat harder once Queen Elsa dispels the ice between our vessels."

"We are fully prepared for that."

"And when she re-freezes the water?" Johan asked.

"We are prepared for that too."

"Yes, I saw how your men are armed and armored. But I feel you do not truly understand your situation."

Almost casually, as though it had become tiring to hold it up, Johan lowered his pole, bringing the flag to waist level.

A wave of white formed at the _Crocus_. The ice between the ships was thrown up into the air, and dispersed. Some of the mercenary soldiers standing on the frozen sea backed away, while others prepared to enter the water. There was no need, the wave of Power stopped just short of Thurmond's lead ship.

Moments later, the sea began to re-freeze. Not the thin layer of ice Johan had walked across, this sheet was dozens of feet thick. Blue-white stalagmites grew upward on its surface, their weight forcing the ice into the sea, causing it to groan, crack, and shatter. New ice formed on top of the shards, while the entire mass continued to grow toward the mercenaries. In seconds, the ocean between the ships was filled with a towering, chaotic mass. A frozen spire rose near the _Crocus_, on top of which stood Elsa, arms outstretched, exalting in her Power.

Johan barely looked at the spectacle, choosing instead to study Thurmond. The commander stood very still, transfixed by the display of Power.

"If you had ordered you men into the water," Johan began, "they would now be entrapped in the ice. There, unable to move, and unable to breathe, they would perish. Do not harbor the idea you can tire Her Majesty with multiple wave of attackers. She can use her Power repeatedly, without growing weary. She can, and has, brought down mountains. The Queen could shatter your ships, despite their reinforcing, as easily as you or I would break an egg.

"Commander Thurmond, the Queen has no desire to kill anyone, but she will do what is necessary to defend herself, and her Kingdom. This is a battle you cannot win. Again, I implore you to cease this attack. Return with me to the _Crocus,_ to negotiate."

Thurmond looked at Johan, his face filled with anger. He looked at the mass of ice, then back to Johan. His hand dropped to his sword. The Chancellor could see Thurmond's anger was quickly turning into all-out rage. Johan calmed himself, stood quietly, and wondered just how many seconds he had left to live.


	21. The Face of the Enemy

"Get this man off my ship!" Commander Thurmond ordered his men.

They all hesitated.

"NOW!"

Two soldiers immediately came forward and took Johan by the arms. The Chancellor walked forward, shrugging them off. Upon reached the rail, he raised his pole and white flag high, and then dropped it over the side, before climbing down a ladder to the frozen fjord.

As he descended, a wave of Power swept across the ice, flattening the jumbled fragments into a smooth sheet. Accompanied by two mercenary soldiers, Johan gathered his flag and began the trek back to the _Crocus_.

Frowning, Thurmond watched the display of Power, seeing Elsa standing atop her spire of ice. The Queen bowed to him, and then began walking down a spiral stair.

Still furious, Thurmond stormed downstairs to his quarters.

There, another man waited, seated by a small table. "When can we expect the Queen's surrender?" he asked.

"Queen Elsa will not be surrendering," Thurmond grumbled, as he began to search the room.

"Then when will you begin your attack?"

Thurmond glared at the other man. "THERE WILL BE NO ATTACK!" he yelled.

"What? I paid you good money to see that evil sorceress done away with. We have a contract!"

"I'm cancelling the contract under the provisions of section four."

"Uhh, section four?"

Thurmond went to a bookshelf, grabbed a scroll, and threw it on the table in front of the other man. "Did you even _read_ the contract?"

"Well, of course I did. It just that…"

Thurmond's gaze pinned the other man to his seat. "Section four states that I may cancel the contract at my discretion if any information provided by the client proves to be misleading or false. The Queen is far more powerful than you described, and has far more control. 'If she gets mad, the weather will change and everything freezes. If she's happy, it all thaws. She has no control over this. Other than that, all she can do is make some decorations out of ice.'"

"Of course she's powerful! That's why she must be stopped!"

Thurmond continued his glare until the other man looked away, and then resumed his search.

"If you are not going to attack, then I want my money back," the other man stated.

Thurmond found a pole, to which was affixed a white flag. "There's a reason why I ask for half payment, non-refundable, up front. It's for when idiots like you get me into situations like this. An army ten times what I have would not be enough! At least I'll not lose to much money on this fiasco."

"You cannot just give up! She's an evil sorceress!"

"Odd, you've never described her as evil before. You've been saying 'dangerous', and 'out of control'"

"Of course she's evil! All sorceresses are evil!" the man protested.

"Tell me; if she's so evil, why are we still alive? The Queen could have killed us a dozen times over by now! If she even thinks we're a threat, she could crush my ships in seconds!"

"You expect me to know the mind of that witch?" the other man asked.

"I expect you to have a little common sense!" Thurmond yelled.

The other man pulled his head back in shock, and then his eyes narrowed.

"What are you going to do, surrender yourself into her evil clutches?"

"No. _We_ are going to her ship to discuss terms."

"What? I will have nothing to do with... Hey! What are you doing?"

Thurmond picked up the other man, one hand under each arm, and set him down at the door to his quarters. "Do you prefer to walk, or be dragged in chains?"

The other man straightened his uniform, trying to regain some dignity. "I'll walk," he said, icily.

Chancellor Johan climbed the stairs to the deck of the _Crocus._

"You're back, safe and sound!" Elsa said, as she threw her arms around Johan, giving him a big hug. He stood awkwardly for a moment, and then hesitantly put one arm around the Queen, patting her on the back. He shot Lars a confused look.

"Whenever Her Majesty uses her Power on a large scale, it tends to elevate her mood." Lars said as quietly as he could.

"I'm right here," Elsa replied, releasing Johan. "So, what happened? Was bowing to Thurmond a little too much?"

"He was quite furious," Johan replied, "even before your bow. I almost missed that part as I was climbing down a ladder at the time."

"I was thinking of doing a pirouette," Elsa actually did a pirouette, "but I held back."

"That was probably for the best. As it was, I feared Thurmond would end me right then and there."

"He was most likely mad at the situation, or his employer," Lars commented.

"Of that, I have no doubt. But I did expect him to take his anger out on myself."

"Did you learn who hired the Commander?" asked Lars.

"Unfortunately, no. We still have no idea who is behind this invasion."

Lars thought for a moment. "There is the possibility Thurmond's employer could convince him to continue the invasion."

"We don't know if Thurmond's employer is even here," Elsa commented.

"I'm fairly sure he is here, on Thurmond's lead ship," Johan began. "When I asked to see his employer, the commander's eyes strayed to the stairway leading below deck just for a moment."

"What could they do to continue the invasion?" asked Elsa. "You've covered _everything_."

"Not everything. For example, he could simply sit and wait a day to two, then, under the cover of night, try and get some troops into the village. He could have landed troops days ago, miles away, who are even now infiltrating Arendelle." Lars swept his arm toward the enemy ships. "This could all be a diversion. However, I doubt it is, Thurmond normally does not accompany the diversionary force. I do have guardsmen stationed along the boarders and the shore, but enemy troops moving slowly and quietly at night are hard to detect."

"If he tries anything like that, then I'll…" Elsa trailed off, raising her right hand, cradling the glow of Power.

"Will you? Are you willing to wipe them out?" Lars asked.

Elsa closed her hand, and then stood for a long moment. "Yes, to protect my Kingdom, to protect Anna, yes."

Lars nodded once. "Good. Hopefully, Thurmond will not test your resolve. If nothing happens for a few hours, you should try and get some sleep."

"Sleep? In the daytime?" Elsa asked.

"Yes, if you can. I'm sure Captain Eric can find quarters for you."

"Or, I could go sleep in my bed in the castle. It's just a couple of hundred yards away." Elsa pointed across the water. "I could make an ice bridge."

Lars cocked his head, thinking. "That's not a bad idea. If Commander Thurmond sees we have easy access to the castle, along with supplies and relief personnel, it will make his position look that much weaker. It would also give you an avenue of escape. How fast do you think you could cross such a bridge?"

"As fast as I could run," answered Elsa.

"You're sure you'd not slip?"

Elsa smiled and shook her head. "You don't slide on ice unless you want to."

Lars and Johan exchanged a confused look.

"Are you saying you can walk on ice without having to constantly guard against slipping?" Lars asked.

Elsa looked confused herself. She was about to answer then a call came from the crows-nest.

"Sir! White flag!"

"Ah! Now, maybe we'll learn who this mysterious client is," Lars said. He took out his spyglass and went to the bow.

"What do you see?" Elsa asked as she joined Lars at the rail.

Lars adjusted the focus. "Two men, walking toward us on the ice. One is clearly Commander Thurmond. The other I don't recognize. Short, lightly built, grey hair, mustache, wearing a uniform and glasses."

"What? Give me that!" Elsa took the spyglass and looked though it. A few snowflakes began to swirl about her. Lars discreetly took half a step back.

"I do not _believe_ it!" Elsa exclaimed, slapping her hands down on the railing. Frost splattered along its length, the lenses of the spyglass shattering as the barrel filled with ice.

"It's the Duke of Weselton."


	22. Diplomacy

Elsa turned to her staff in disbelief. "He hired mercenaries! To attack me! The Duke of Weselton!"

Captain Lars pointed at two guardsmen, then the stairs leading to the frozen fjord. They acknowledged the order with a nod, and then started down.

"Now that we know who it is, we can prepare," Johan said. "Neither of us has met the Duke, all we have heard is the stories. What can you tell us?"

"You know he sent his men to kill me," Elsa began. "He kept calling me a wicked sorceress, and a monster. While I was running away from the coronation ball, I accidently knocked him down with an ice blast. After I had thawed everything, he kept coming up with complaint after complaint, claiming he deserved special treatment for all sorts of perceived slights and injuries. Enough was enough, I cut off trade and had him shown to his ship."

"You would have been well within your rights to have both the Duke and his men executed for attempted Regicide," Lars commented.

"That was suggested by some guardsmen. I decided to treat them, and Prince Hans for that matter, as though they had diplomatic immunity. I did not want to start my reign by committing an act that could brand me a monster."

Out on the ice, Elsa saw the two guardsmen meet with Thurmond and the Duke, and start escorting them back.

"Thurmond will likely not wish to continue hostilities without a contract, and I doubt he would be coming under a flag of truce if the contract was still in force," Lars commented.

"I see little issue in negotiating with Commander Thurmond. I am not sure how to come to terms with the Duke, a man who wants to see you dead just for being who you are," the Chancellor said.

"I'm sure the two of you can keep the Commander entertained. I'll deal with the Duke myself." Elsa said, looking at her clothes. She had chosen to dress casually that morning, in anticipation of Lars' training exercise. Now Elsa dropped her hands to her sides, and, with a gesture, transformed the dress into glittering blue-white ice.

"He wants the Snow Queen, he gets the Snow Queen," she said decisively. Elsa reached for her hair, planning to complete her transformation, then changed her mind, choosing to leave her hair up and her crown in place. _I'm also the Queen of Arendelle_, she thought. "Captain Eric! Permission to use your quarters."

"Granted," Eric called from the bridge.

Lars stepped forward, looking concerned. "Your Majesty, you intend to meet the Duke, alone? Are you sure that's wise?"

"I can handle the Duke." Elsa said firmly. "If you're worried, bring him to me, then wait outside the door."

"Your Majesty, I have one last piece of advice," Johan offered. Elsa waited. "Diplomacy is complete when all sides are equally dis-satisfied."

The Queen nodded, swept her cape out of the way and went below.

Lars and Johan watched as Thurmond and the Duke were escorted up the stairs and onto the deck.

"Well well well, if it isn't Lieutenant Lars," Thurmond said, as he handed his flag to a guardsman. "This is an unexpected surprise." The commander once again glared at the Duke.

"Captain Lars now, of the Arendelle Royal Guard." Lars came to attention and bowed.

"So, you took a job babysitting princesses?"

"Queen Elsa is hardly a princess," Lars said, raising a hand to starboard, where the ice spire stood.

The Duke looked back and forth between Lars and Thurmond. "You two know each other? What is this, some sort of conspiracy? Am I surrounded by enemies?"

"There is no need for any of us to be enemies," Johan said.

The Duke pointed a white-gloved finger at Johan. "And who might you be?" he asked, suspicion dripping from every word.

"Chancellor Johan, at your service," Johan responded, bowing.

Thurmond looked about the deck. "Where, pray tell, is Her Majesty hiding?"

"The Queen is below, awaiting the company of the Duke," Lars said. "If you will come with me." He reached for the Duke's arm.

"What? You cannot expect me to meet with that sorceress alone!" The Duke said, looking at Thurmond. The Commander smiled and waved goodbye.

Elsa sat at a table, looking at a chart of the fjord and the surrounding area. She cast about for something to do, to look busy for when the Duke arrived. She picked up a piece of paper sitting to the side. It appeared to be nothing more than a list of supplies. Elsa was trying to find something interesting on it when there was a knock at the door.

"Enter," Elsa said, without raising her gaze.

Lars opened the door and herded the Duke in ahead of himself. "Your Majesty, may I present the Duke of Weselton."

"Very well. Thank you. You may leave."

Lars hesitated for a moment, then nodded, exited, and closed the door. The Duke looked around the room in panic; finding he was alone, save for Elsa. After a moment, he resignedly calmed himself, and took a seat at the table opposite the Queen.

Elsa set the list aside and locked eyes with the Duke. "Why did you invade my Kingdom?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

"No, it is not. Explain it to me."

The Duke started to get angry. "You're an evil sorceress, and should be done away with!"

"What evil have I done?" Elsa asked.

"Is that a joke? You froze everything, you attacked me!"

"Those were accidents. Your invasion was on purpose. Evil requires intent. Again, what evil have I done?"

"It does not matter if they were accidents. You endangered everyone. Power like that should not be in hands such as yours."

"Hands such as…?" Elsa paused for a moment, then a gentle smile spread across her face. She rose, placed both hands on the desk, and leaned toward the Duke. "So that's what this is all about." Elsa reached forward, almost touching her finger to the Duke's nose.

"You're _jealous_."

"WHAT? I never heard such a preposterous claim!"

"You're jealous of this," Elsa said, creating some show above her palm.

"That's ridiculous! Total fantasy! I would never want such Power!" The Duke stopped himself, obviously feeling the heat in his face. Fascinated, Elsa watched as he turned beet red.

Her smile fading, Elsa returned to her seat. "Well, Duke, I cannot give you my Power any more than I can give you the color of my eyes. I'm stuck with it, for better or worse. All we can do is come to terms on what we are going to do about it."

"I already know what should be done. Remove you from existence."

"That will not be happening. Surely it would be easier to simply accept me as I am?"

"I see no reason why I should do that." The Duke crossed his arms. "Under the terms of the white flag, I demand you return me to my ship."

The Duke made as though to stand. Elsa thought about how, if the Duke left now, she would be doing this all over again in the near future. Or maybe the Duke would hire assassins next time, and she would end up dodging arrows shot from the shadows. Elsa decided that if she were to have any hope of resolving the situation, she would need to become dis-satisfied.

"Before you go, I wish to make a final offer."

The Duke waited, refusing to meet Elsa's gaze.

"If you accept myself as the rightful ruler of Arendelle…"

The Duke snorted.

"…and agree to a non-aggression pact, I will re-open trade with Weselton."

The Duke suddenly looked excited, looking at Elsa directly. "Reopen trade?" Then his eyes narrowed. "But I'd have to accept you as Queen."

"It's a good offer." Elsa said, gently setting her middle finger on the tabletop. "The alternative is I return you to Thurmond's ship, and we start fighting." The Duke watched as curlicues of frost spread across the map. "You may also wish to consider how much support you will get from Commander Thurmond, and what terms he has negotiated with my Chancellor."

The Duke frowned, his shoulders slumping an inch. "Very well. I accept your terms." He raised his finger, shaking it at Elsa. "But, I'll be watching you. Don't think I wont!"

For the third time, Johan looked at the stairs, worried about what was transpiring below. Then, he continued his conversation with Thurmond. "In that, the Duke was somewhat accurate. Her Majesty can create all manner of ice decorations, including ice sculptures, in seconds. The ice can be milky white, clear, or filled with uncountable internal facets that reflect and refract the light in the most amazing manner." He stopped as Lars came up the stars. A moment later, The Duke climbed onto the deck, followed by Elsa.

Adopting her Royal poise, the Queen addressed the Chancellor. "The Duke and myself have come to terms. You will need to make up the formal documents."

Commander Thurmond thumped Johan in the chest with the back of his hand. "You didn't tell me she was gorgeous," he said, with a broad grin on his face.

Johan ignored the familiarity, focusing on the Queen. "What are the terms?"

"First, a non-aggression pact between Arendelle and Weselton. Next, Weselton recognizes myself as the rightful ruler of Arendelle. Finally, trade between Arendelle and Weselton is reinstated."

Johan, Lars, and Thurmond all looked surprised at the last. Johan quickly recovered. "Very well. The documents will be ready for sighing in a few hours."

Elsa turned her attention to Thurmond. "Commander, that just leaves you."

Thurmond bowed deeply. "Your Majesty. I have already canceled the contract with the Duke. I have no quarrel with you."

"Then I only request that you take the Duke back to Weselton with you when you leave."

Thurmond looked at Johan with knitted brows. Johan nodded once in return. Thurmond looked back to Elsa, and bowed again.

"Once back aboard your ship, you may signal me and I will dispel the ice," Elsa concluded.

The Duke headed toward the ice stairway, eager to escape, with Thurmond following. Elsa looked at her castle, thinking about home, Anna, and chocolate. Then, an odd idea occurred to her. Smiling, she looked back to the others.

"Commander Thurmond, Duke, would you care to join me for dinner?" she asked.

They all looked surprised at the request, except for Johan, who smiled.


	23. The Banquet

Anna looked away from the mirror. Her hair, half done, stuck out in all directions. "I still cannot believe you invited him here! Explain it to me again."

Elsa put her hands on Anna's shoulders, turning her back to the mirror. She picked up a brush, and began working on her sister's hair. "Once we had come to terms, inviting the Duke and then Commander to a banquet was the proper thing to do."

"Why? The Duke tried to have you killed, then hired mercenaries to attack our Kingdom."

"You actually said it yourself, when you suggested we have another Royal ball. We should be inviting others to social gatherings."

"I didn't mean you should invite enemies."

"I'm hoping to insure the Duke is never an enemy again. The best way for someone to see I'm a good person is to get to know me. Hopefully, tonight, the Duke will have a chance to do that."

Elsa was interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Come in," the Queen called.

Gerda, the head of housekeeping, entered the room. "Your Majesty, the tailor says the replacement for your Coronation gown simply cannot be made ready in time for this evenings' events. He sends his apologies."

"Very well. Why don't you pick something out for me." Elsa requested, and then went back to Anna's hair.

"Fine," Anna said. "You're trying to make nice. But, renewing trade? Was it worth it?"

"Given what we get in return, I feel it is."

"Will this one be satisfactory?" Gerda asked, while holding a black and purple gown.

"No, I would prefer something lighter. I think the 'Dark Queen' look is not what's needed tonight." Elsa said to Gerda.

"We get a non-aggression pact and recognition of your rule," Anna said. "That's enough to get the Duke off for attempted murder? You should be getting those things as a matter of course."

"We get more than that. Hand me your ribbon."

Anna gave Elsa the strips of green and yellow cloth, and Elsa began weaving them into Anna's hair. "What else do get?" Anna asked.

Elsa nodded to Gerda, who held a white and green dress. "You remember our problems with trade? How the merchants cannot sell their goods, the dockworkers are out of work, and the treasury is slowly being drained? Now all those issues are going to be solved."

"Oh. I hadn't thought of that. So, when you offered the Duke to renew trade, you were actually doing it for us?"

"For the Kingdom and our subjects, yes. But don't tell the Duke." Elsa finished with the ribbons. Anna turned her head, examined the results in the mirror.

"Thanks. So, we are back to keeping secrets?

"Only from the Duke. Besides, he'll figure it out for himself." Elsa took her gown and went behind the dressing blind.

"What would you have done if the Duke hand not agreed to your deal?"

"I was counting on Johan coming to terms with the mercenary commander, Thurmond. It turns out he had. Thurmond had agreed to take the Duke back to his ship, give him a sword, and abandon him on the ice. I would release Thurmond's ships, and he would sail away."

Anna laughed. "Now that would have been funny to see. What would you have done with the Duke?"

"Offered him the same deal as I did the first time. If the Duke refused again, toss him in the dungeon, and send Johan to the Dukedom of Weselton to resolve the matter."

"That would have been a lot of bother. I guess I need to learn about these sorts of things."

Elsa came out from behind the blind. "Lars and Johan were a big help. If I was alone in figuring out a plan of action, this invasion may have ended far worse." Elsa examined herself in the mirror. "Anna, do you have to be careful to not slip when you walk on ice?"

"Of course. Everyone does. Ice is slippery, especially if it's wet. Are you saying you don't?"

"I never have. I only slide on ice when I want to. Otherwise, it's just like walking on a smooth wood floor."

"Wait, wait, wait. Right after your coronation, you said that you had no trouble with ice because of all the practice you had while you were hiding in your room. Now you're saying that you've never had any problems?"

"I had to practice _skating_ on ice. I never had any problem walking in it." Elsa paused, a painful memory surfacing. "Actually, there was one time I did slip. It was the night I hit you with my Power, when we were children."

Anna walked over and gave Elsa a hug. "Well, the rest of us have to walk very carefully on ice."

"My Power must anchor me, without my even knowing it's happening." Elsa backed away from Anna, looking her over. "Ready to meet everyone?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," Anna said, smiling.

"Good. Now, about the seating arrangements…"

The introductions and pleasantries completed, Anna was still thinking about those arrangements as she looked at the man across from herself. There were insufficient guests to use all but one end of the dinner table. As such, Anna sat at the Queen's right. That placed the next highest-ranking guest, the Duke of Weselton, on Elsa's left, directly across from the princess. Commander Thurmond and Captain Lars sat to Anna's right, while Johan's wife and Johan sat to the Duke's left.

"Tell me Duke," Elsa asked, as their first course plates were being cleared. "How did you come to know so much about magic?"

"I beg your pardon? What are you accusing me of?" the Duke replied, suspiciously.

"When you sent your men to kill me, you did so with the intent of ending my accidental winter. How did you know my death would bring back summer? Where did this knowledge of magic come from?"

"What other possible outcome could there have been?"

"I honestly don't know. It could be that only I could reverse the effects, and by having me killed, you would have cursed Arendelle to an eternal winter."

The Duke looked surprised at the suggestion, but quickly recovered. "Are you saying that's what would have happened?"

"As I said, I honestly don't know. I'm still learning about my Power. But, somehow, you knew. Why else try and have me killed?"

The Duke frowned, looking down at the second course place set before him to avoid the gaze of the other guests.

"Let us rejoice in that we never had to find out," Johan said, raising his glass. "A toast to a long, warm summer."

Glasses were touched, and all drank.

"Duke, you may be relieved to know that I have set up an area where Her Majesty can practice with her Power, so we can learn more about it," Lars commented.

"You think having her practice will make us safer?" The Duke looked at Elsa. "Better if you were to stop using your Power altogether."

"I've found that does not work," Elsa said, as she passed one had over the other, forming a clear globe of ice. "I maintain better control if I practice with my Power regularly, even in small ways." Elsa set the globe down before the Duke, just behind his soup bowl. He looked as though someone had just handed him a hornet's nest. Trying to ignore the gift, he took a spoonful of soup.

"Queen Elsa, I have a proposition for you," Thurmond began. "Actually, two propositions."

"Yes, Commander?"

"I noticed you have only one ship for defense. There can be pirates in these waters."

"We have agreements with the neighboring Kingdoms. Together, we patrol the coast and the trade routes. It has proven to be adequate," Lars explained. "Furthermore, we have agreements with several privately held ships, allowing us to muster them into our forces as needed."

"Yes, I'm sure you do," Thurmond replied. "However, you may find a time when you need additional help. In such cases, I would like to offer my services."

"You think Elsa needs mercenaries to defend Arendelle?" Anna asked. "Even after what she did today?"

"Her Majesty cannot be everywhere at once. Perhaps you come under attack by a large army, on multiple fronts, or maybe you need to visit a foreign land, and desire an escort through dangerous waters, or additional forces to guard your Kingdom while you are away."

"Perhaps," offered Lars. "It is a consideration, a way to augment our forces in a time of need."

The soup bowls were cleared, and the main course was served.

"I will consider it, if the need ever arises." Elsa said. "Now, you said you had another proposal?"

"Up to now, I had made it a policy to never get involved in any job involving magic. I took this one because the Duke made you to look weak, in that you could not control your Power in any purposeful way. In addition, my own informants indicated you were a menace, one that needed to be stopped."

Elsa looked upset. "Informants? What did they say about me?"

"They reported that you were cold and heartless, that you cared for no one but yourself, that you could not control your Power, and everything you touched became frozen. Additionally, I was led to understand you could only thaw your ice with great effort."

Elsa stared at Thurmond, feeling her anger rising.

Anna rolled her eyes. "Not this again. It's just like all the letters we keep getting. What is it with some people? Elsa's a kind and wonderful person. You can see that for yourself. In fact, in two weeks we are having a Royal Ball so everyone else can see it too."

"Don't expect me to come," muttered the Duke.

"From what I've seen, I must agree with the princess," Thurmond said to the Queen. Elsa felt herself relax. "That brings me to my offer. When I am next asked to deal with a magical problem, I would like to recruit your help."

"You're asking me to join your mercenary army? To give up my throne to be a soldier of fortune?"

Thurmond shook his head, smiling. "Nothing like that. I don't get that many job offers involving magic, maybe one a year. But when I do, it almost always involves innocent people being oppressed by some dark force. It breaks my heart to turn them down, but men at arms cannot do much against magic, as you yourself have demonstrated. However, with your aid, we could help these people."

"You make it sound like you are on some noble quest," Anna said, a touch of acid in her voice. "I thought you attacked us because the Duke paid you a large sum of money." Elsa placed her hand on Anna's, squeezing lightly.

"Yes, I charge for my services. Ships, men, and supplies are not free," Thurmond explained. "Also, some day I hope to earn enough to retire. But I do get to select whom I work for. I try to pick the right side. I admit that sometimes that doesn't work out. Usually I choose well, and it does help my operations to be the 'good guy'. More ports are open to me for purchasing supplies, and more realms are willing to accept my men on shore leave."

"I understand your position," Elsa said. "You must understand that my first responsibility is to Arendelle."

"There may come a time when working with me will be in the best interests of Arendelle. The forces of evil have a way of threatening everyone. In addition, I pay well."

"If such a time arises, I'll consider what actions to take. Perhaps working with you will be advantageous. As for the money, Arendelle is in no finical difficulty."

"Oh, really?" commented the Duke. "After disembarking, I took a short tour of the docks. I noticed a large quantity of goods stacked about, awaiting sale. After talking to some dockworkers and merchants, I learned that trade has been rather slow here at Arendelle for the past couple of months." The Duke jabbed his fork at Elsa for emphasis, before taking another bite of fish. "I did managed to make some purchases at very reasonable prices."

_I should have spread the word about my deal with the Duke, so everyone could adjust their prices,_ Elsa thought. "Do you have a point?" she asked.

"Only that your deal of renewing trade may not have been the sacrifice you made it out to be, and you knew it."

"On the contrary," Elsa said a smoothly and calmly as she could. "I found giving you anything you desire to be utterly repulsive. I took actions I felt were best for my subjects." Despite Elsa's best efforts, everyone felt the temperature drop a few degrees. "Surely you do not intend to renege on the treaty? The ink is barely dry."

"I sure hope not," Thurmond said, almost laughing. "You got most everything you wanted, and you only had to pay half my fee!"

"I only got half of what I wanted," the Duke retorted. "However, if you want to recoup some of your losses, I'll pay for you to ship my newly acquired merchandise to Weselton."

"Do my ships look like cargo vessels?"

"I'm sure you can find room. Are you saying you do not want the money?"

"Fine, we'll see what we can squeeze in."

Anna suddenly sat up a bit straighter, having just felt a foot caress her leg. She looked to her right, seeing Thurmond smiling at her. Anna took Elsa's hand, and a moment later Thurmond withdrew his foot, shooting Anna a dirty look. The princess shrugged her shoulders and smiled back.

Elsa watched the exchange, a question on her brow. Anna squeezed Elsa's hand once before letting go. Elsa suddenly realized what must have happened.

"Duke, perhaps you would be interested to learn of a new capability I recently discovered concerning my Power."

"What might at be?" he said suspiciously.

"Whenever I and my sister touch, she can borrow my Power."

The Duke looked back and forth between Elsa and Anna, who gave him a smug little smile. "What is this?" he said to Anna. "You said you had no Power, that you were completely ordinary!"

"I don't. I mean I am. That is, I don't have any Power, except when I touch Elsa. Even then, it's not my Power, it's her Power. Besides, I told you that at Elsa's coronation. We had not yet found out that I could do this."

"We do not know if Anna is the only one who can borrow my Power," Elsa said. "We have tried this little trick with several others, to no avail. Perhaps you would like to try?" Elsa offered her hand to the Duke. He looked at it, then slowly extended his own.

"Duke, you have to take off your gloves," Elsa instructed.

He started to remove one of the coverings, then changed his mind, folding his arms across his chest. "Maybe some other time."

Johan raised his glass. "In that case, I would like to propose another toast. To future times!"

Everyone clicked glasses and drank.


	24. Summer's End

"Someone's coming," Olaf said. "Who is it? Soldiers? Soldiers! Are we being invaded again?" The little snowman ran to Kristoff and grabbed his leg. "Don't let them take me, I'm too young to die!" he cried.

"Relax, those are just some of the Arendelle Royal guard. Look, Elsa and Anna are right behind them," the ice merchant said

"Oh. Phew! That's a relief," Olaf replied, as he started to toddle over the group. In all there were four guardsmen and four servants escorting the sisters. Everyone dismounted, the guards taking positions around the small clearing, while the servants saw to the horses.

"Welcome to my secret spot!" Kristoff called out.

"It's not much of a secret any more," Anna said.

"When I told you how to get here, I didn't expect you to bring half the Kingdom."

"Captain Lars insisted we should not go riding about the mountains without an escort," Elsa said. "Given everything that has happened in the last few weeks, I can see his point. Then, once the Guard were coming, we needed more supplies, which meant servants, and this is the result."

Anna went to Kristoff and the two exchanged a hug. "This is a great spot for a picnic," she said. "We have a good view of the fjord and Arendelle, and shade from the trees." Off to the side, the servants began spreading blankets and laying out the food.

"An end-of-summer picnic," Kristoff said. "A nice way to celebrate, as today is the equinox."

"What do you mean by The End Of Summer?" Olaf asked, raising his arms to his face in horror.

"This is the last day of summer," Anna said. "After today, it's gone."

"Gone? Summer can't be gone!" Olaf ran to Elsa, who had just sat down on a blanket. "Do something! You have to bring back summer!"

"Olaf, its just nature. I'm not going to interfere with nature, unless there is some pressing need," Elsa explained.

"Nature took away summer? Don't worry, I'll fix it. Wait right here, I'll go find summer!" With that, Olaf ran into the forest.

"Olaf! You it's not what you think! You don't have to…" Anna called after snowman.

Kristoff placed his hand on Anna's shoulder. "Don't worry, he'll be back, eventually. He needs a new carrot for his nose every couple of weeks."

Anna watched as Olaf ran out of sight, and then turned to Kristoff. "So, are you all excited?"

"Excited about what?"

Anna lightly slapped Kristoff on the arm. "The Michaelmas Royal Ball, silly. It's on the twenty-ninth, just a few days from now."

"Why would I be excited by a Royal Ball?"

"Because it will be so much fun!" Anna placed her hands on Kristoff's shoulders, and started dancing side to side. "We will get to meet people, and eat chocolate, and dance, and eat chocolate!" Anna took Kristoff's hand in her own, raised it over her head and did a pirouette.

"What do you mean 'we'?"

"You and me, of course!"

Kristoff let go of Anna, backed off a step, and raised his hands defensively. "What? I can't go to a Royal ball! I'm not royalty, or a nobleman."

"We're not limiting the guest list to Royalty," Elsa said, as she selected a sandwich from a basket. "Important merchants and officials are coming too. As you are the Arendelle Official Ice Merchant and Deliverer, you're invited."

"So you _have_ to came," Anna insisted.

Kristoff backed up another step. "But, I don't know formal dance, and I don't have anything to wear."

Anna waved her hand dismissively. "Oh, I can teach you, and I'm sure our tailor can find you something." She walked to Kristoff and again took his hands in hers, looked into his eyes, and gave Kristoff her cutest smile.

Kristoff returned Anna's gaze, then looked at Sven. "_How can you turn that down?"_ he said in the tone he used when he spoke for his reindeer. "Alright, alright, I'll come. You know I'm helpless when you two gang up on me."

"Thanks, Sven," Anna called over her shoulder. "Now, let's get some food."

The three sat quietly for a few minutes, eating and admiring the view.

Anna broke the silence. "Have you made a decision about Captain Lars?"

"Hmmmf?" Kristoff said around a mouthful of food.

"The Captain was a little deceptive about his previous job experience," Elsa explained. "I've had a long discussion with him, and decided that he stays. Both he and Johan were invaluable these last few days. Anna, you may remember how Johan and I worked together for over an hour before the banquet?"

"That was when I was in the courtyard, reassuring everyone that all was well? People were panicking when they saw Thurmond's ship entering the harbor," Anna said.

"All that time, Johan and I were going over exactly how to speak to the Duke. What tone of voice to use, what facial expressions, and so on. It was like the training we both had on proper Royal poise, but five times as detailed and totally focused on this one situation."

"It sounds like he really knows his stuff. But, do you think you can get him to stop with the fashion advice? I'll wear my hair up when I want. Although I see he's gotten you trained. You almost always have your hair up these days, and you're not even wearing an ice gown."

"Ice gowns and horseback riding don't really go together."

"Alright, but remember, sometimes you can be yourself?"

"Don't worry about that."

Kristoff shook his head. "I'm glad I don't have to deal with all of these sorts of things. Life's a lot simpler up here in the mountains." He lay back and looked into the sky.

Elsa and Anna cast each other a worried look.

"Its really not that hard," Elsa said, reassuringly. "Its why we have advisers. They help carry the load. That way, we still have time to come here and enjoy the scenery."

Anna decided to change the subject. "When do you think we'll get our first snow?" Elsa raised her hand.

"I mean real, natural snow, from a storm."

"Could be any day," answered Kristoff. "This is Arendelle, and summer's over. Although this summer has had more snow and ice than any summer I've ever seen."

"Summer may be over, but we still have work to do," Elsa commented. "I have a meeting with the merchants concerning the new trade agreement."

"I have to start organizing everything for the Ball," said Anna.

"And I still have some deliveries to make," finished Kristoff.

The three stood. The sisters mounted their steeds, while Kristoff went to his sled, and together they headed home.

**The story continues in "Rain of a Child's Tear".**


End file.
